ISLAMABAD, April 16: The District and Sessions Judge, Islamabad, Chaudhary Assad Raza, on Wednesday awarded seven-time death sentence to an accused in a multiple murder case.

The judge also imposed a fine of Rs2.1 million on the convict, Mohammad Nawaz, in default of which he would have to undergo another 42-month rigorous imprisonment.

The Aabpara police had charged the accused with killing seven members of his family, including his pregnant wife, daughters, a son, son-in-law and daughter-in-law, in his G-7 residence on Sept 21, 2002.

Surrendering to the police after the incident, he said that he had committed the crime because his wife had been trying to convert his entire family to Christianity.

On Jan 17, 2003, the court had charge sheeted him and asked the prosecution to present the witnesses on Feb 27. On April 7, the accused told the court that he had not committed the crime. He said he had no knowledge of any such crime in which seven of his family members were murdered.

Three held: Three fake officials of the excise and taxation department were arrested red-handed while receiving money from people by setting up a picket in Rawalpindi on Wednesday, adds our staff reporter.

The arrests were made after District Nazim Raja Tariq Kiani spotted a group of people, in uniform of the excise department, stopping private vehicles on the Fatah Jung Road. The Nazim was on way to Rawalpindi after inaugurating a development project in Bajnial village.

Seeing the Nazim’s convoy, the accused escaped. However, three of them, identified as Samandar Khan, Zafar Iqbal and Zafar, were arrested by the police (Nazim’s guards) after a brief chase. Two other persons, who escaped, were said to be the employees of the excise and taxation department, a spokesman for the Nazim said.

SHO Westridge Malik Afzal told Dawn that an FIR had been registered against the accused. Efforts were on to trace the absconders, identified as Mohammad Afzal and Mohammad Basharat.

CARJACKING: Four vehicles were stolen in different parts of the city on Wednesday, police said.