Life imprisonment awarded to Karachi man for kidnapping, killing minor girl in 2012

Published May 20, 2019
The judge noted that the reason for awarding a lesser punishment was that neither the incident was seen by anyone nor the motive of the crime was clear, which constituted strong mitigating circumstances for awarding a lesser punishment. — AFP/File
The judge noted that the reason for awarding a lesser punishment was that neither the incident was seen by anyone nor the motive of the crime was clear, which constituted strong mitigating circumstances for awarding a lesser punishment. — AFP/File

A model court in Karachi on Monday awarded a life imprisonment sentence to a man accused of kidnapping a five-year-old girl for ransom and later strangulating her to death in 2012.

Waheed Ahmed, the accused, was found guilty of kidnapping Erum, alias Rani, and murdering her within the remit of Mubina Town police station in May 2012.

The additional district and sessions’ judge Haleem Ahmed, of the model criminal trial court (East), ruled that the prosecution had proved its case against the accused beyond the shadow of doubt and that the accused had kidnapped the baby on May 01, 2012 in order to commit her murder.

Read: Govt urged to focus on strengthening child protection policy

The judge handed down life imprisonment to the accused for killing the girl and ordered him to pay Rs500,000 compensation to the legal heirs of deceased. Failure to make the payment would earn him an additional six months of imprisonment, which would run concurrently with the his main sentence.

The judge noted that the reason for awarding a lesser punishment was that neither the incident was seen by anyone nor the motive of the crime was clear, which constituted strong mitigating circumstances for awarding a lesser punishment.

According to the prosecution, Erum went missing while playing outside her house on May 1, 2012. Later, the accused contacted the victim's father and demanded ransom for her safe recovery, it added.

After a month, the father was called by the police to identify a body kept at the Abbas Shaheed Hospital. The complainant identified the body to be of his missing daughter, the prosecution said.

After submission of the charge sheet, the court indicted the accused but he pleaded “not guilty” and opted to contest.

During the trial, the detained accused denied the allegations, claiming to be innocent. He alleged that the police framed him in the case, which was branded "false and fabricated".

However, the prosecution insisted that there was not only strong medical evidence but also the statement of an eyewitness, which establishes that the accused had kidnapped the girl and later killed her due to the fear of being caught.

Opinion

Editorial

‘Source of terror’
Updated 29 Mar, 2024

‘Source of terror’

It is clear that going after militant groups inside Afghanistan unilaterally presents its own set of difficulties.
Chipping in
29 Mar, 2024

Chipping in

FEDERAL infrastructure development schemes are located in the provinces. Most such projects — for instance,...
Toxic emitters
29 Mar, 2024

Toxic emitters

IT is concerning to note that dozens of industries have been violating environmental laws in and around Islamabad....
Judiciary’s SOS
Updated 28 Mar, 2024

Judiciary’s SOS

The ball is now in CJP Isa’s court, and he will feel pressure to take action.
Data protection
28 Mar, 2024

Data protection

WHAT do we want? Data protection laws. When do we want them? Immediately. Without delay, if we are to prevent ...
Selling humans
28 Mar, 2024

Selling humans

HUMAN traders feed off economic distress; they peddle promises of a better life to the impoverished who, mired in...