KARACHI, May 19: An anti-terrorism court put off on Thursday the hearing of a kidnapping-cum-murder case after recording the statement of two accused. Judge Arshad Noor Khan of the ATC-3 fixed Saturday for the next hearing after the statements of accused Sheeraz Uddin and Asif alias Sajjad, who denied the charges.

Accused Asif also produced two defence witnesses, including his father Abdul Sadiq, who were also cross-examined by special public prosecutor Naimat Ali Randhawa. Accused Sheeraz, who gave his statement on oath, was also cross-examined by the special public prosecutor.

Earlier on October 18, last year, the same court had sentenced two accused – Khurrum Mushtaq and Ather Ali - to suffer life imprisonment on two counts of kidnapping and murder of the victim, a 20-year-old student.

Victim Raghib Hussain was kidnapped and killed by a gang of five, one of whom posing as a girl on the internet had talked him into going on a date.

Accused Sheeraz Uddin and Asif, who had been declared absconder, were later arrested in December last year.

The victim was kidnapped around 11:30am on April 1, this year and later in the evening he was found unconscious near Singapore Towers in Sharea Faisal police area.

He was first taken to Jinnah Hospital and then was shifted to the Liaquat National Hospital. On April 2, he told his mother that he was kidnapped by his friend, Sheeraz Uddin.

The victim told the family that on March 31 the imposter asked him into going on a date. He stated that he reached the Rado Centre in Gulistan-i-Jauhar in his Suzuki FX car. He said that Sheeraz along with a girl got into his car and they kidnapped him at gunpoint.

According to the victim, the couple took him to a bungalow in Gulistan-i-Jauhar where accused Khurrum, Asif, and Ather were already present.

He stated that accused Asif injected drug in his chest as the other accused caught hold of him. He said that after a little while Asif injected another syringe in his chest and he went unconscious.

The victim’s mother, who also appeared as a prosecution witness in the trial court, stated that her brother had seen her son going with a man and a woman in his car. She said around 1:30 pm, the kidnappers phoned her and demanded Rs1 million for the release of her son.

The victim died at a hospital on April 16.