KARACHI: A model court has awarded death sentence to a real estate agent for murdering a businessman over a personal dispute.

Sohail Abdul Salam Mughal was found guilty of shooting to death Munawwar Ali over suspicion of abducting his wife and three daughters in New Town.

The additional district and sessions’ judge, Haleem Ahmed, of the model criminal trial court (East) pronounced the judgement.

The judge also ordered the convict to pay Rs1 million in compensation to the legal heirs of the victim. On default, he would undergo imprisonment for six months.

However, the sentence is subject to confirmation or otherwise by the Sindh High Court.

The convict, who was present in court, was sent to prison to serve his sentence.

During the trial, state prosecutor Anwar Mahar contended that the accused believed that Munawwar Ali had allegedly kept his wife and three daughters in illegal confinement at his residence and subsequently petitioned the SHC for their recovery.

He further contended that on the orders of the apex court two police escorts conducted raid at the victim’s flat in Toso Apartments, of which he was the owner, on Jan 13, 2019.

The prosecutor claimed that upon seeing Munawwar Ali the accused came out of the police mobile van, took out a 9mm calibre pistol and opened fire on the latter. The victim, who had received around four bullets, had died during treatment at the Liaquat National Hospital, he added.

The prosecutor argued that nine witnesses, including two eyewitnesses, in their ocular evidence had fully corroborated the circumstantial, medical and forensic evidences establishing that the accused used the weapon recovered from his possession on the spot in the commissioning of the offence.

Therefore, he asked the court to punish the accused, an estate agent in the Defence Housing Authority, in accordance with the law.

In his statement, recorded under Section 342 of the Criminal Procedure Code, the accused denied the allegations and claimed his innocence.

On the other hand, defence counsel Khawaja Naveed Ahmed argued that his client was framed in the present case and pleaded to acquit him of the false charges.

About the wife and daughters of the convict, the investigating officer of the case told Dawn that they had not been kidnapped and that the wife along with the daughters had separated from the husband of her own free will and they were living happily.

A case was registered under Section 302 (premeditated murder) of the Pakistan Penal Code at the New Town police station on behalf of the state.

Published in Dawn, July 14th, 2021