KARACHI, July 27: Four paramilitary soldiers were picked out by two eyewitnesses before the court of a judicial magistrate during an identification parade in the taxi driver murder case on Saturday.

Lance Naik Ghulam Rasool and Lance Naik Barkat and Sepoys Waqar and Nazeer of Pakistan Rangers, (Sindh) have been booked and arrested for their alleged involvement in the murder of an unarmed taxi driver, Murid Abbas, who was gunned down in Gulistan-i-Jauhar on July 16.

The Rangers personnel were produced in court for an identification parade and recording of statements of witnesses under Section 164 of the criminal procedure code.

Judicial Magistrate (east) Iram Jahangir conducted the identification parade after completing legal formalities. The suspects were lined up along with dummies and the court called the witnesses to identify the suspects.

Two witnesses — taxi driver Mohammad Khan and shopkeeper Mohammad Sadiq — appeared in court, identified the suspects and also recorded their statements under Section 164 of the CrPC.

The taxi driver deposed that he was present at the taxi stand near the crime scene at the time of incident, while the second witness said that he was also present at his tyre puncture shop located near the crime scene. Both of them deposed that they had witnessed the incident.

They identified Ghulam Rasool as the alleged shooter and deposed that he had opened fire on the vehicle causing bullet wounds to the victim who died later.

Pointing towards the other three Rangers men, the witnesses deposed that they were also present with the prime suspect at the time of the incident.

After completion of the identification parade and recording of the statements, the court sent the suspects to prison on judicial remand till July 31 and directed the investigation officer to complete the probe and submit a charge-sheet on the next date.

According to the prosecution, the taxi driver was shot dead by Rangers in Gulistan-i-Jauhar on July 16 when he reportedly did not stop his vehicle upon being signalled to do so.

A case (FIR 468/13) was registered under Sections 302 (premeditated murder) and 34 (common intention) of the Pakistan Penal Code at the Gulistan-i-Jauhar police station on a compliant of the deceased’s widow.

The Supreme Court had taken suo motu notice in the present case and on July 26 it had ruled that the suspects should be put on trial under the anti-terrorism law. The apex court had asked the trial court to decide the matter in a month from the date of submission of the charge-sheet.