RAWALPINDI, July 17: Additional District and Sessions Judge (ASJ) Rana Nisar Ahmed Khan on Tuesday awarded death sentence to four rapists. Iqbal, Riaz, Rafaqat and Asjad Nawaz would be hanged for abducting and later raping Abida Yasmin 25. The four persons were also awarded life imprisonment for abduction, seven years imprisonment for forcibly intoxicating her, five years for taking her nude pictures, two years for stealing her ornaments, one year for beating her and three months for seducing her. Each of the convicts will pay Rs30,000 as fine according to the verdict.
According to the details of the case Abida Yasmin who worked in an education consultancy in Saddar, was kidnapped by four persons after making her faint from Bank Road and took her in a car with forged registration to an under construction house in Gulrez on July 11, 2005. The abductors released her after raping her.
Initially she reported to the police that after she regained her senses one Iqbal with three unknown persons raped her and deprived her of her belongings and money. Police registered the first information report after two days that too after some NGOs intervened.
She later in her supplementary statement nominated three persons Rafaqat a friend of Iqbal, Riaz who drove the car during abduction and Asjad Nawaz the watchman of the house.
In the beginning police in its investigation declared Riaz innocent and accepted the plea of alibi by Rafaqat who said he was present in a hospital in Peshawar on the day rape was committed.
The behaviour of police compelled Abida file a private complaint through Ilyas Siddiqui advocate with district and session judge.
During the trial Iqbal helped police recover the ornaments of the girl from the house were offence was carried out and later he revealed about an undeveloped camera film roll containing nude pictures of the girl.
When developed, it was clear that the roll had 25 naked pictures of the victim with Iqbal and Riaz. Rafaqat failed to provide any evidence in the court about his absence and was declared absconder after he did not turn up in the court following he was granted bail. The lady medical office who examined the victim also confirmed she was deflowered.
