KARACHI: A Rangers soldier who allegedly killed a man near Nagan Chowrangi on Friday was formally booked and arrested on Saturday, officials said.

They said the Rangers official, Raham Noor, was formally handed over to the New Karachi police in the early hours of the day after the FIR was lodged in line with the statement of the victim’s widow who named him as the prime suspect.

“The FIR (84/2014) has been lodged against Raham Noor on the complaint of Shafia Mohammed Rafiq,” said Inspector Chaudary Muhammad Afzal of the New Karachi police station. “He has been charged under Sections 319 (punishment for qatl-i-khata), 337-H (punishment for hurt by rash or negligent act), 365 (kidnapping or abducting with intent secretly and wrongfully to confine person) and 511 (punishment for attempting to commit offences punishable with imprisonment for life or for a shorter terms) of the Pakistan Penal Code.”

He ruled out any ‘pressure’ on the investigators while pursuing the case against the paramilitary soldier, explaining that the case was registered on the account of the eyewitness who was also an aggrieved party.

“The injured was being treated and has cooperated with the investigators. She was firm on her statement which further removed the doubts if there were any,” said the New Karachi SHO.

However, the police claims fell short to convince other family members of the victim, Zeeshan Shahabuddin, who was killed only a few weeks after their marriage, saying that his widow could not be declared ‘aggrieved party’, as relations between the couple had strained and the two were heading for separation.

A large number of Zeeshan’s family members and area residents converged outside the New Karachi police station in the early hours of the day after the registration of the FIR demanding that a case be registered on the complaint of the father or brother of the victim.

Meanwhile, a sister of the deceased filed an application in a sessions court seeking registration of the case on her complaint.

Additional district and sessions judge (central) Javed Akhtar Awan issued notice to the SHO New Karachi with direction to submit his comments over non-registration of the case till March 3.

The applicant, Tasneem, through her lawyer moved an application under Section 22-A of the criminal procedure code in the court and contended that her bother, Zeeshan, was gunned down by the Rangers soldier, Noor Raham, in the Nagan Chowrangi area allegedly on the behest of his widow, Shafia, on Friday as she provoked the Rangers to open fire.

She said that the New Karachi police station was approached to lodge a case against the paramilitary solider and the widow of victim, but the police refused to entertain her plea.

The applicant asked the court to direct the station house officer of the police station concerned to register the FIR against the proposed accused.