KARACHI: An antiterrorism court has indicted a suspected target killer in a case pertaining to the murder of an officer of a district municipal corporation.

Raeesuddin, alias Mama, a former Korangi sector in-charge of the Muttahida Qaumi Movement, with his absconding accomplices has been charged with killing recovery officer of the DMC (East) Amir Zai in October 2013 in Korangi.

An ATC judge, conducting the trial at the judicial complex inside the central prison, read out the charges against the accused. However, he pleaded not guilty and opted to contest the charges.

The court summoned the prosecution witnesses with the direction to record their testimonies on Aug 3.

The prosecution said that the accused with his accomplices Jibran, Feroze, Khurram Butt and others had killed the victim at the behest of the former head of the MQM’s Karachi Tanzeemi Committee Hammad Siddiqui.

A case was registered under Section 302 (punishment for premeditated murder ), 109 (abetment) and 34 (common intention) of the Pakistan Penal Code read with Section 7 of the Anti-Terrorism Act, 1997 on a complaint of the victim’s brother at the Korangi police station.

The prosecution said the accused was a target killer and belonged to the MQM-London and he was allegedly involved in many cases of murder, extortion, etc.

Police said the accused had fled the country in 2014 to avoid arrest. He was arrested by Interpol in Malaysia in 2017 after his red warrant was issued and his name placed in the exit control list in 2015.

Published in Dawn, July 29th, 2020