KARACHI: An antiterrorism court on Saturday remanded suspended SSP Rao Anwar Ahmed Khan in judicial custody in a case related to the abduction and murder of Naqeebullah Mehsud and three others in a staged encounter.

The former SSP along with 10 of his detained subordinates and around 15 absconding ones has been booked and arrested for abducting Naseemullah, better known as Naqeebullah Mehsud, for ransom and killing him along with three other detainees in a staged encounter in Malir on Jan 13.

On Saturday, Investigating Officer SSP Central Dr Rizwan Ahmed produced the suspect before the judge of the ATC-II on expiry of Rao Anwar’s month-long police remand.

The trial court has asked the IO to file a final charge sheet on May 2

He informed the judge that his custody was no more required by the police for the purpose of interrogation.

The IO stated that a joint investigation team had been constituted to interrogate the suspects in the case.

He sought some more time to submit a final charge-sheet against the suspended SSP and other suspects.

Allowing the request, the ATC judge sent Rao Anwar to jail on judicial remand till May 2 and directed the IO to submit the final charge sheet against them.

The court also remanded co-accused Shakeel Feroz, an alleged frontman of former Shah Latif Town SHO Amanullah Marwat in judicial custody upon expiry of his physical remand.

A visibly calm Rao Anwar was brought to the ATC in an armoured personnel carrier escorted by around 10 police mobile vans.

The Supreme Court had taken notice of the killing of the South Waziristan youngster after the incident sparked outrage on social media and protests by political, religious and rights organisations. The provincial police officer had also constituted a three-member inquiry committee that found Rao Anwar and his associates involved in the case and said that prima facie the encounter in question was coordinated, fake and staged.

A case was registered on Jan 23 on a complaint of Naqeeb’s father against Rao Anwar and others in the light of the findings of the three-member inquiry committee. Moreover, the police had also told the court that the five cases registered against Naqeeb and three other deceased victims, after they were killed in the staged encounter, were bogus.

The case against Rao Anwar and his associates was registered under Sections 302 (premeditated murder), 365 (kidnapping with intent secretly and wrongfully to confine person), 344 (wrongful confinement for 10 or more days), 109 (abetment) and 34 (common intention) of the Pakistan Penal Code read with Section 7 of the Anti-Terrorism Act, 1997 on a complaint of the deceased’s father, Mohammad Khan, at the Sachal police station.

Later, Sections 342 (punishment for wrongful confinement), 201 (causing disappearance of evidence of offence or giving false information to screen offender), 202 (intentional omission to give information of offence by person bound to inform), 114 (abettor present when offence is committed) and 365-A (kidnapping to extort property, etc) of the PPC were also incorporated in the case.

On March 21, police had taken Rao Anwar into custody on the premises of the Supreme Court where he had finally turned up after remaining in hiding for nearly two months.

Under directions of the trial court, then IO of the case SP Investigation Abid Qaimkhani had produced Rao Anwar before the ATC-II judge the following day amid strict security. The court had remanded him in police custody for 30 days on the request of the IO when he submitted that producing the suspended SSP in court could present a security risk.

Published in Dawn, April 22nd, 2018