The Supreme Court on Tuesday rejected an appeal for acquittal filed by a police officer who was handed a life sentence for abducting a Pakistani-origin Belgian citizen for ransom.

Justice Asif Saeed Khosa, who headed the three-member bench, said that when defenders of the law become looters they should receive a harsh punishment.

"Why don't we turn the criminal's life sentence into a death sentence," asked Justice Khosa.

The prosecutor Mohammad Jaffar told the court today that the police officer, Mohammad Zubair, had kidnapped the Pakistani-origin Belgian citizen.

The trial court had sentenced the police official to life in prison for kidnapping the victim from Kharian and obtaining Rs200,000 in ransom. The Lahore High Court earlier upheld the trial court's sentence.

Justice Khosa observed that the traveller to Pakistan must have experienced a terrible shock, and added that the LHC had noted in its order that such a criminal should have received a greater punishment.