KARACHI: An antiterrorism court has granted bail to three accused in two separate cases pertaining to abduction and murders.

The accused — Noor-ud-Din; Salah-ud-Din, alias Saloo and Kamran, alias Mechanic — have been charged with abducting two men in separate cases and torturing them to death in Orangi Town and Pakistan Bazaar areas in 2011.

The ATC-VIII judge, who is conducting trial in the judicial complex inside the central prison, ordered the accused to furnish a surety bond of Rs500,000 each.

Defence counsel Lateef Pasha moved bail applications on behalf of the detained men in a case pertaining to kidnapping and murder of victim Azad Hassan.

The prosecution said the mutilated body of the victim was found stuffed in a gunny bag thrown at a garbage collection point in the Data Nagar area of Orangi Town in 2011. The head of the victim was missing, it added.

The Pirabad police arrested three men and booked them in the kidnapping and murder case.

The defence counsel argued that the law enforcers had “falsely framed” his clients in the case in which the alleged involvement of the accused persons was yet to be established after the lapse of seven years. He contended that the prosecution had failed to connect the accused with the commissioning of the alleged offence despite prolonged detention of the accused, which was a violation of their fundamental rights pertaining to liberty of life. He pleaded to grant post-arrest bail to the accused, who were incarcerated for a long time.

The same set of accused was charged in a second case pertaining to abduction and murder of a fisherman after subjecting him to severe torture within the remit of the Pakistan Bazaar police station. The prosecution said the victim identified as Raza was subjected to physical torture and killed and his body was later stuffed in a gunny bag and thrown at some abandoned place.

The defence counsel Lateef Pasha contended that the prosecution had failed to connect his clients with the alleged offence despite the lapse of several years and pleaded to grant them post-arrest bail in this case as well.

The prosecutor however opposed the bail pleas, arguing that there was enough material available on record to connect the role of the accused persons in both the cases. The court was pleaded to dismiss the bail pleas.

Bail dismissed

Meanwhile, another antiterrorism court dismissed bail applications moved by a detained accused, Wali Mohammad Rahimoon, in separate cases pertaining to kidnapping for ransom and possessing illicit weapons.

Rahimoon had been charged with kidnapping a grade-19 officer for ransom and threatening him with dire consequences over non-payment of ransom money.

He moved separate applications through his counsel seeking grant of post-arrest bail in both cases.

The defence counsel argued that Rahimoon was an engineer, gold medallist and contractor of a CPEC firm of China and Port Qasim. He added that the complainant, who lodged cases against the applicant, was an electrical inspector of the Sindh government and had allegedly demanded Rs5,000,000 bribe from the accused. However, the accused paid him Rs500,000 but also lodged a complaint with the National Accountability Bureau against the complainant. He pleaded to grant him bail in both cases, which were “false and concocted”.

However, counsel for the complainant argued that the accused Wali Mohammad Rahimoon was also involved in unethical acts he had committed with the complainant, who was a grade-19 officer.

The counsel contended that educational qualification could not be considered while deciding criminal cases. He alleged that the accused was involved in the offences alleged by the prosecution and apprehended that the accused might tamper with the evidence if released on bail.

The prosecutor also opposed the bail plea and requested to dismiss the same.

The ATC-XII judge, who conducted the trial in the judicial complex inside the central prison, dismissed bail applications after hearing arguments from defence counsel, the prosecutor and complainant’s counsel.

Published in Dawn, August 29th, 2018

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