PESHAWAR: An anti-terrorism court on Friday granted bail to a teenaged girl arrested on charges of demanding extortion from local traders in the name of a militant outfit.

The girl stated to be 17 belongs to Mashokhel area of Peshawar, and was arrested a few days ago by the local police.

The ATC judge Abdur Rauf Khan pronounced a short order of accepting the bail petition of the girl after hearing arguments from the prosecution and the defence.

The petitioner’s counsel contended that there was no evidence on record to prove that she belonged to a group of extortionists. He added that even if the prosecution’s version was accepted to be true the petitioner never meant to receive money from those who she called on phone.

The police claimed that around two months ago they had received a complaint from a local trader named Zahir Gul that he had been receiving calls on his phone from unidentified persons threatening to kidnap his children if he failed to pay Rs1 million extortion.

The police said they started investigating the complaint and came to know that extortion was also demanded from five other traders from the same phone number. Later, they came to know that the said number had also been used by a female who was arrested.

The police alleged that during initial interrogation the suspect claimed that the complainant was her relative and she was only teasing him.

Published in Dawn, February 28th, 2015

On a mobile phone? Get the Dawn Mobile App: Apple Store | Google Play