KARACHI: An anti-corruption court on Friday sentenced four policemen to a total of three years imprisonment in a graft case registered in 2007.

Assistant sub-inspector Ghulam Yasin Soomro and constables Mehmood Ali, Mohammad Akram and Ali Nawaz were found guilty of wrongfully detaining Abid Ali at a police post in Korangi in February 2006 and taking a bribe for his release.

Judge of the special provincial anti-corruption Gulshan Ara Chandio, who conducted the trial, awarded two years term under Section 161 (public servant taking gratification other than legal remuneration in respect of an official act) and another one year term under Section 342 (wrongful confinement) of the Pakistan Penal Code.

Both the sentences will run concurrently, according to the judgement.

While the convicts, Mehmood Ali and Mohammad Akram, escaped from court premises just before the pronouncement of the verdict, the remaining convicts were taken in custody and remanded to prison.

According to the ruling, the two policemen who escaped were convicted as provided under Section 366 (3) (mode of delivering judgement) of the criminal procedure code and the court issued life warrants for them with direction to investigating officer to arrest the convicts and send them to prison.

The court in its verdict observed that the victim, his wife and an independent witness deposed against specifically the policemen and a medical report also confirmed that the victim was subjected to torture.

According to the prosecution, the police had picked up the complainant from his house in Korangi, confined him at a police post and subjected him to torture and inhuman treatment. However, it said, the policemen later released him after taking Rs800,000 from his wife. A case was registered against the policemen at the anti-corruption establishment in 2007.

Policeman remanded in shootout case

An anti-terrorism court on Friday remanded a policeman to prison in a case pertaining to a shootout between two groups of police officials.

A policeman was killed and another sustained bullet wounds in Khamisa Goth when some officials of the North Karachi Industrial Area police station and some others posted at the SP office exchanged fire allegedly over the collection of protection money in December last year.

The police produced head constable Liaquat Ali before the ATC-II after the end of his physical remand and the court sent him to prison on judicial remand and asked the police to file investigation report.

Published in Dawn, September 20th, 2014