KARACHI: An anti-terrorism court acquitted four men, including two policemen, in an extortion case for want of evidence on Tuesday.

Head constable Rahat Ali and constable Zafar with private individuals Liaquat Ali and Sattar had been charged with demanding and collecting protection money from fruit and vegetable vendors near Jauhar Mor, within the jurisdiction of the Sharea Faisal police station, in March.

Judge Bashir Ahmed Khoso of ATC-I exonerated the accused as an eyewitness turned hostile by not identifying the accused as extortionists and the other did not turn up to testify.

A case was lodged against the accused under Sections 384 (punishment for extortion), 385 (putting person in fear of injury in order to commit extortion), 386 (extortion by putting a person in fear of death or of grievous hurt) and 34 (common intention) of the Pakistan Penal Code read with Section 7 of the Anti-terrorism Act, 1997.

Show-cause notices to IOs

A sessions court issued show-cause notices to two investigating officers for their absence and non-production of witnesses in many robbery cases on Tuesday.

Mohammad Ali Hajano, allegedly infamous for targeting the Defence Housing Authority and its surrounding areas in a white Corolla and committing robberies and other crimes during 2008-09 with Umair Khan, has been charged with robbing the home of Yawar Shamim and Ashfaq Ahmed within the jurisdictions of the Darakshan and Boat Basin police stations in August 2008 and January 2009, respectively.

The court has repeatedly been asking investigating officers Khan Mohammad and Hameed Khan for their presence and production of the remaining prosecution witnesses during the previous hearings, but they did not show up.

Additional district and sessions judge (south) Tariq Mehmood Khoso, who is conducting the trial at the judicial complex inside the central prison, issued show-cause notices to both IOs for Dec 6 and also asked the police high-ups to stop their salaries.

The police arrested the accused persons in January 2009 and they were charged in around 35 cases, including robbery, attempted murder, attempted rape, street crime and in a murder case. However, they have been acquitted in 12 cases.

Published in Dawn, November 26th, 2014