KARACHI, July 5: A complainant failed to identify on Friday an accused before an anti-terrorism court in an extortion case.

Mohammad Yasin aka Raju with his absconding accomplices has been charged with demanding protection money from a shopkeeper in the Ghaas Mandi area by putting him in fear of death in April 2012.

Complainant Mohammad Sohail appeared before an anti-terrorism court and narrated the story before it, but expressed his inability to recognise the accused saying he was unknown to him.

Earlier, he had nominated the accused persons in the FIR and also made a similar statement before the police under Section 161 of the Criminal Procedure Code.

However, the prosecutor did not ask the court to declare the witness hostile under the Qanun-e-Shahadat Order, 1984 since he apparently deviated from his pervious stance.

Additional district and sessions judge Aliya Latif Unar, who is conducting trial as the judge of an anti-terrorism court, adjourned the hearing till July 8.

According to the prosecution, the accused had dropped an envelope containing a note demanding Rs50,000 protection money at the complainant’s shop on April 12 last year and threatened him of dire consequences in case of non-payment. Later, they also made telephone calls and the matter was reported to the police, who arrested the accused.

A case was registered under Sections 386 (extortion by putting a person in fear of death or of grievous hurt) and 34 (common intention) of the Pakistan Penal Code read with Section 7 of the Anti-terrorism Act at the Napier police station. Irfan, Siddiq, Fareed and Mohsin are the absconders in the case.

Suspects sent to prison

A judicial magistrate remanded on Friday a film director and two female suspects to jail custody in a murder case.

Mansoor Mujahid has been booked for killing his friend Faisal Nabi in an apartment in the Defence Housing Authority while the suspect’s friend Anab Hameed and the victim’s companion Masuma Abidi have been arrested for abetting the crime.

The police again produced the suspects in court on Friday after their physical remand ended.

The court sent the suspects to prison on judicial remand till July 8 and issued a directive for the IO to submit a charge-sheet.