KARACHI, Jan 5: An investigation officer on Thursday submitted an interim charge-sheet in court against a suspect for allegedly killing his three daughters.

The investigation officer submitted the charge-sheet before a judicial magistrate (west) and the court accepted it for hearing and sent the same to district and sessions court for a trial.

According to the charge-sheet, the suspect was a dairy farmer and on Oct 7 his wife left for Punjab following the death of her uncle. The suspect was said to be fed up with running his business and also looking after his six children. His two elder daughters were physically handicapped.

On Oct 14 he brought food, laced it with a sedative and gave it his three daughters aged between 16 and 18 years who fell unconscious and he himself semi-unconscious after eating it and then he drowned them in a pond, it added.

According to the prosecution, the victims were found dead in the pond made for cattle in their house located in Mairajun Nabi Colony of Orangi Town Sector 10, on the morning of Oct 15. A case (FIR No 447/11) was registered under Sections 302 (premeditated murder) and 34 (common intention) of the Pakistan Penal Code (PPC).

Journalist's murder case

An anti-terrorism court on Thursday issued notices to the defence counsel on pleas to alter the charge in a case pertaining to the murder of a journalist till Jan 11.

Faisal Mahmood alias Nafsiati, Syed Mohammad Ali Rizvi, Shahrukh alias Mani, Naveed alias Polka and Shakil alias Malik along with their absconding accomplices have been charged with killing Wali Khan Babar, a reporter of a private TV channel, on Jan 13, 2011 within the remit of the Super Market police station.

The public prosecutor and counsel for the complainant submitted separate applications under Section 227 (court may alter charge) of the criminal procedure code and argued that earlier this case was tried by the ATC-II, which had indicted the accused under Section 302 of the PPC, but did not mentioned the relevant sections of the Anti-Terrorism Act.

The roles the accused have assigned to each others were also cited in the charge, thus it became defective and the same may be amended, they contended.

The judge of ATC-III, Ghulam Mustafa Memon, who is conducting the trial, issued notices to the defence side with direction to record their arguments on next hearing.

A case (FIR No 8/11) was registered under Sections 302 and 34 of the PPC.

Later, Section 7 of the Anti-Terrorism Act was also incorporated in the FIR. The suspects were arrested during checking of vehicles in Gulshan-i-Iqbal on April 7, 2011.