PESHAWAR, Nov 3: On the intervention of an anti-terrorism court, the prosecution and local police on Saturday agreed to include relevant sections of Anti-Terrorism Act and Pakistan Penal Code in the case of robbery allegedly committed by four policemen and an official of Intelligence Bureau.

A day ago, ATC judge Asghar Ali Shah had issued notices to the Peshawar superintendent of police (investigation), district public prosecutor, investigation officer and others asking them to assist the court on the point why the sections of ATA and PPC were not included in the FIR.

The judge observed that the robbery reported in newspapers had terrorised the people.

The FIR of the robbery was registered at Pahari Pura police station under Section 17(3) of the Offence against Property (Enforcement of Hudood) Ordinance. It, however, didn’t carry sections dealing with terrorism and kidnapping for ransom.

After the officials agreed to incorporate the relevant section of law, the court pronounced to drop the said notice, observing that the SP (investigation), district public prosecutor, investigation officer and public prosecutor of the ATC had not only admitted their fault but also had expressed readiness to follow the law without hesitation.

The judge took notice of the issue under Section 19(3) of ATA, which empowers the court to take cognizance of an offence in its jurisdiction.

He also expressed reservation over the way the case was dealt by the relevant judicial magistrate, observing that the magistrate should have applied his independent mind and examined the record of the case before assuming jurisdiction in it.

The judge told the relevant officials to send his order to the registrar of the Peshawar High Court, observing if he deemed it fit, the order might be circulated to all judicial magistrates through the relevant district and sessions judges in the province.

In the robbery case, the five accused are assistant director of Intelligence Bureau Yousaf Raza, assistant sub-inspector Noor Islam and three constables Waseem, Shahzad and Kaleem. They were sent to prison by a judicial magistrate of Thursday.

The complainant in the case, Arshad Ali, a currency dealer, alleged that he was travelling along with one Taimor and Zubair Shah in a car and was going to Chowk Yadgar from Mardan through Peshawar-Islamabad Motorway when they were stopped by the accused, some in police uniform and some in civvies.

He alleged that the accused took them to Wapda Colony on G.T. Road, where they were deprived of local and foreign currency notes valuing Rs10 million, and cellphones.