An Anti-terrorism Court (ATC) on Thursday gave the police a "last extension" on the deadline to provide its final report on the arrests of absconders in a case pertaining to the extra-judicial killing of Naqeebullah Mehsud in Karachi.

Former Malir Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP) Rao Anwar and three other suspects were booked for planting false evidence — pistols and hand grenades — on Mehsud and three others after they were killed in a shootout, and later registering a false case against the deceased under the Sindh Arms Act for illegal possession of arms and explosives.

"We are conducting raids in efforts to arrest the absconders and will succeed soon," the Investigation Officer told the court today.

Anwar, who was present in court for the hearing, refuted reports about being moved from his Malir Cantt residence while speaking to the media outside court.

He added that he was unaware about any National Accountability Bureau inquiry into his assets.

The court adjourned the hearing till October 31.

15 police officials still absconding

As many as 11 police officials had already been arrested in the case before Anwar was taken into custody following his 'surrender' before the SC in Islamabad on March 21. Around 15 accused police officers have been declared as absconders in the case.

According to the IO’s report submitted earlier in the ATC, policemen in plainclothes had picked Naqeebullah Mehsud, along with two other persons, and took them to the Sachal police post where the two others were separated from Mehsud.

When one of the witnesses asked the policemen about their abduction, a policeman replied that they were being taken to see Rao Anwar and then they (captives) would "make their way to heaven".

The two witnesses — who were eventually released by the police — told investigators that they were later taken to an unknown location where they also saw Mehsud. When one of them spoke to Mehsud, the latter said that police were demanding Rs1 million against his release, but he could not arrange even Rs50,000.

The report further stated that the witnesses, after being released, came to know through the media that Rao Anwar and his associates had allegedly killed Mehsud and three others in a staged encounter in the Shah Latif Town area on Jan 13 and dubbed them as militants.

Mehsud's father lodged a case on Jan 23 against Rao Anwar and others on the basis of the findings of a three-member inquiry committee, which had said that, prima facie, the encounter was coordinated, fake and staged. Police investigators claimed that Anwar played a central role in the case.