HARIPUR: The model criminal trial court here on Friday acquitted all the suspects charged with the murder of a friend over lack of evidence.

Following the decision, Javed Khan Tanoli Advocate, the counsel for the accused, said the police had recovered the charred body of Afrasiyab Khan, 20, wrapped in a quilt, from the graveyard of the Khalabat Township’s Sector 4 about six years ago.

According to the prosecution, the suspects had chopped the body into pieces and set it on fire before burying it at two different places.

Waseem Khan, the father of the deceased, had accused two brothers, Azam Khan and Ahsan Khan, and Mohammad Zubair of the same locality of the murder.

After the arrest, the suspects had confessed that they had murdered Afrasiyab over some family matter using daggers. However, model criminal trial court judge Sajjad Ahmed Jan acquitted all of them after the prosecution failed to provide sufficient evidence for the offense.

OFFICE OPENS: Hazara division police chief Qazi Jamilur Rehman on Friday opened the Police Assistance Line office and a computerised driving licence branch in Ghazi tehsil.

Speaking on the occasion, he said the facility would spare the residents of the hassle of visiting the District Headquarters, Haripur, for seeking police clearance certificates, registration of FIRs of lost documents, and addressing other related matters.

He said both the offices had started working with the required staff, expressing the hope that such steps would help strengthen the police-public relationship for effective curbing of crimes.

Published in Dawn, December 19th, 2020