PESHAWAR, Sept 14: A juvenile offender accused of carjacking has been languishing in Bannu district prison for the last four years.

The offender, Riffatullah son of Mohammad Qadir, is a resident of Jhandokhel area in Bannu district. He was arrested in March, 1999, on charges of being involved in an incident of hijacking of a Datsun-pickup.

The prime accused in the case had already been released on bail and were at present declared absconders. However, as Riffatullah belonged to a poor family, therefore, no bail application was earlier moved on his behalf.

Recently, a bail application was filed for his release, but as his trial has been started, therefore he could not be released.

His trial is still in the initial stages and only four witnesses have been examined till now. At the time of his arrest he was only 16.

Under the Juvenile Justice System Ordinance, 2000, a juvenile offender could not be kept in ordinary prison and has to be kept at a borstal institution. However, ever since his arrest he has been imprisoned at Bannu district prison.

The FIR of the case was registered by a driver, Abdul Nawaz Khan, on March 20, 1999. He stated that he was a driver and had taken his vehicle to Kurram River for washing it.

He stated that three men armed with kalashnikovs overpowered him and put him in the rare of the vehicle.

The driver had claimed that later on three other men also joined them and took the vehicle towards Bakakhel area.

He was left at a deserted place and the vehicle was taken hijacked, the driver had claimed in the FIR.

Later, the vehicle was returned to the owner for paying Rs65,000.

The boy was arrested in the same connection and the police claimed that he had confessed his involvement in the crime. He recorded a statement under section 164 of the Criminal Procedure Code before a court of law.

However, in that statement he did not concede his direct involvement in the offence. In his statement Riffatullah had claimed that he was not present on the place of occurrence and when reached there he came to know that one of his acquaintances, Essa Khan, had boarded a Datsun pick-up.

He stated that later on Essa Khan told him that they had taken away the vehicle in connivance with its driver and they had thrown him at a deserted place so that he could not be suspected.