KARACHI: A judicial magistrate on Thursday remanded two suspects in police custody in a case relating to alleged kidnapping of two minor girls in Surjani Town.

Police had claimed to have arrested two men on Wednesday over the suspicion of their involvement in the kidnapping.

The investigating officer produced Sajjad and Azam before a judicial magistrate (West) and informed that they were allegedly involved in the kidnapping of Rabia, 11, and Saima, 13.

He said that an FIR was lodged at the Surjani Town police station, in which the complainant had alleged that a couple, Sonia and her husband Shahid, had kidnapped his daughter Rabia and another girl Saima.

The IO said that the couple was arrested and on information provided by them the police had recovered both the kidnapped girls from a house in Gulistan-i-Jauhar.

He said Shahid had kept both girls in the house of a relative, Sajjad.

He added that Sajjad, who had allegedly planned to sell the girls for Rs500,000, was arrested along with his accomplice Azam.

The IO sought custody of the two suspects to complete investigation and other legal formalities, as statements of the girls were yet to be recorded and their medical examination was also required to be conducted.

The other female members of the alleged kidnappers’ gang were also to be tracked down, added the IO.

The judicial magistrate remanded the suspects in police custody for two days.

Intizar murder case

An antiterrorism court on Thursday further deferred pronouncement of its order on an application of eight former Anti-Car Lifting Cell officials seeking transfer of the murder case of a teenager to a sessions court for trial.

Intizar Ahmed was killed in an alleged staged encounter on January 13 in DHA.

On April 9, the suspects’ lawyer had moved an application and contended that the ATC had no jurisdiction to conduct the trial.

However, the prosecutor had opposed the plea.

After hearing both sides, the ATC-13 judge, who was hearing the case inside the central prison, had reserved his order on the application till April 19.

On Thursday, the judge further deferred the announcement of its order till April 26.

Meanwhile, the victim’s father, who is also complainant of the case, changed his lawyer. Advocate Salahuddin Panhwar filed his papers.

Published in Dawn, April 20th, 2018