KARACHI: A sessions court on Wednesday sentenced four robbers to life imprisonment in a bank heist case.

Zafarullah, Inayatullah, Raees Ahmed and Mohammad Farhan Khan were found guilty of looting Rs5.3 million from a private bank in Manzoor Colony in April 2015.

The additional district and sessions judge (south), Rajesh Chander Rajput, read out the conviction order after recording evidence of witnesses and concluding arguments from both sides.

The court also imposed a fine of Rs50,000 each and in case of non-payment the convicts would have to undergo an additional two years in prison.

The court in its verdict ruled that the evidence of the complainant and other eyewitnesses remained consistent on material points despite being subjected to lengthy cross-examination and the case stood proved against them beyond the shadow of a doubt.

According to the prosecution, the accused, along with their absconding accomplices, had stormed the bank, snatched weapons from guards and held the staff hostage at gunpoint before taking away the cash. Later, four of them were arrested.

A case was registered under Sections 395 (dacoity) and 34 (common intention) of the Pakistan Penal Code on the complaint of the bank manager at the Baloch Colony police station. Zahid is a proclaimed offender in the case.

The accused persons were produced in custody and after the pronouncement of verdict, the court remanded them back to prison to serve out the awarded sentence.

Lawyer remanded

A judicial magistrate on Wednesday handed over a lawyer to police custody on one-day physical remand for questioning.

The lawyer has been booked for allegedly sending indecent and threatening messages to his female colleague.

The case was registered under Sections 506-B (criminal intimidation) and 509 (word, gesture or act intended to insult the modesty of woman) of the Pakistan Penal Code and Sections 25 and 29 of the Telegraph Act on the complaint of the victim at the City Courts police station.

Published in Dawn, February 23rd, 2017