KARACHI: A judicial magistrate converted on Wednesday a robbery and wrongful confinement case against a station house officer (SHO) and other policemen into a kidnapping for ransom case and asked the investigating officer to submit it to an anti-terrorism court.

The then SHO of the Model Colony police station, Iqbal Arian, along with his subordinates has been booked for allegedly picking up complainant Rashid Bhatti from his house within the remit of the Al-Falah police station in August, detaining him at the Model Colony police station and releasing him after taking money.

The Al-Falah police station had booked the SHO and others for offences of robbery and wrongful confinement.

The investigating officer, Ahsan Channa, submitted an investigation report under Section 173 (report of police-officer) of the criminal procedure code in the court of a judicial magistrate (east).

However, after examining the FIR and other documents, magistrate Irfan Ali observed that it was very much clear that complainant was kidnapped from his house, illegally kept at the police station for ransom and the money was received for the purpose of releasing him.

Therefore, he ruled that prima facie it was a case of kidnapping for ransom, which was to be tried by an anti-terrorism court. The magistrate returned the investigation report and other papers to the IO and asked him to submit the same before the ATC concerned.

According to the prosecution, the personnel of the Model Colony police station raided in the area of another police station and allegedly taken the complainant to the police station, where he was subjected to torture and then he was taken to a nearby bank where the SHO and others got Rs300,000 withdrawn from his account at gunpoint.

Acquittal plea dismissed in DHA shootout case

An anti-terrorism court dismissed on Wednesday an acquittal and five other applications of a prime suspect in the DHA shootout case.

Salman Abro, son of a senior superintendent of police, along with five police guards of his father has been booked for allegedly killing his 18-year-old classmate Suleman Lashari and wounding his private guard after breaking into the victim’s house in Defence Housing Authority in May.

The prime suspect also sustained wounds and one of his five guards was killed in an exchange of fire.

The defence lawyer had moved a set of applications, including acquittal application, return of a vehicle used in the crime, legal objection over acceptance of charge-sheet, medical treatment, alleged violation of Section 12-B (no child shall be handcuffed, put in fetters or given any corporal punishment at any time while in custody) of the Juvenile Justice System Ordinance 2000 and alleged violation of Articles 9 and 10 of the Constitution by the investigating officer.

After hearing arguments from both sides, the judge of the ATC-III, Saleem Raza Baloch, turned down all the applications and adjourned the hearing till Dec 4 for indictment.

Published in Dawn, November 27th, 2014