KARACHI: A sessions court on Monday sentenced a man to a total of 40 years’ imprisonment in a kidnap and rape case.

Ameer Afzal, who ran a tuition centre, was found guilty of abducting his 17-year-old student in Gulshan-i-Hadeed in October 2011 and subjecting her to sexual assault.

Additional District and Sessions Judge (Malir) Shafi Mohammad Pirzada handed down 20-year imprisonment each for the abduction and rape.

The court also directed the convict to pay Rs50,000 as compensation to the victim. In case of default he would have to undergo an additional six months in prison.

Both the sentences will run concurrently.

The verdict said that the victim had given detailed testimony about the incident and categorically deposed against the accused. It added that the medical reports also corroborated her evidence.

The prosecution said that the victim’s father approached the police after her abduction on Oct 12, 2011 and the police managed to arrest the accused and recovered the captive a couple of weeks after the incident.

Later, the accused was released on bail. He jumped bail when the case was fixed on Feb 27, 2017 for pronouncement of the verdict. Therefore, the court issued his arrest warrant and he was again arrested.

A case was registered under Sections 365-B (abducting or inducing woman to compel for marriage, etc), 376 (punishment for rape) and 392 (punishment for robbery) of the Pakistan Penal Code at the Steel Town police station.

‘Militants’ remanded

The administrative judge of the antiterrorism courts remanded a suspected militant in police custody in two bomb blast cases.

Qari Mohammad Jawaid has been booked for his alleged involvement in a suicide attack at the residence of slain SP Mohammad Aslam Khan, better known as Chaudhry Aslam, in Defence Housing Authority in September 2011 and another identical attack at the Civil Lines office of the then Crime Investigation Department (CID) in 2010.

The Counter-Terrorism Department (CTD) produced the suspect before the court and sought his custody for questioning. The court handed him to police on physical remand till March 31.

Meanwhile, the same court remanded two suspects in the custody of the CTD in a case pertaining to the killing of a police officer.

Zafar Ali, alias Saeen, and Obaid have been booked for their alleged involvement in the January 2014 suicide attack on the motorcade of SP Chaudhry Aslam on the Lyari Expressway in which the officer and his two police guards were killed.

The CTD produced Zafar and sought extension in his custody and also presented newly-arrested suspect Obaid. The administrative judge handed them over to CTD on physical remand till March 25.

Published in Dawn, March 21st, 2017