KARACHI: A local court remanded in police custody on Thursday three suspects detained for allegedly stealing corona vaccines and administering them to the public for money in a Saddar locality.

Retired Major Amanullah Sultan, owner of M/s Sultan Madad Private Limited, one of his employees and government vaccinator Mohammad Zeeshan were arrested for allegedly stealing the government vaccine and illegally administering them to people at their homes for money within the remit of the Preedy police station.

On Thursday, the investigating officer produced them before the judicial magistrate (South) to seek their physical remand.

The IO informed that the suspects administered the stolen vaccine (Pfizer) to people against Rs15,000 per jab, adding that they had vaccinated some 60 people in Saddar.

He said 14-day custody of the suspects was required.

The judge remanded them in police custody for one day directing the IO to produce them on the next date along with an investigation report.

According to the FIR, the complainant, provincial drug inspector for South district Ghulam Ali, said he had received information from “reliable sources” that certain persons had stolen Covid-19 vaccines from a vaccination centre of the Sindh government and were allegedly administering the jabs to residents at their homes in return for payment.

A case was registered against the detained suspects under relevant sections of the law.

Transfer of TV anchor murder case

A sessions’ court has fixed Aug 12 to issue schedule for transfer of a case pertaining to the murder of television anchorperson Mureed Abbas and another person over shady investments running into billions of rupees to the model court for speedy trial on daily basis.

The main accused Atif Zaman along with his brother Adil Zaman has been charged with killing his two business partners — Mureed Abbas and Khizar Hayat — in DHA on the night of July 9, 2019.

On Thursday, the matter came up before additional district and sessions’ judge Faraz Ahmed Chandio for recording testimonies of six witnesses.

On the last date, the court had bound the witnesses — including Mureed Abbas’s wife Zara Abbas, Umar Rehan, Usama Ahmed, Imtiaz Ahmed, Mohammad Ilyas and a police constable Faizan — to appear before the court for recording their testimonies.

However, all witnesses failed to turn up for recording their statements.

State prosecutor Shakil Abbasi informed that the present case had already been recommended for speedy day-to-day trial in the Model Criminal Court because of the delaying tactics allegedly being employed by the defence.

Atif’s defence counsel Ajab Khan Khattak and advocate Jibran Nasir for the complainant were present.

The judge wrote in the order that counsel representing both sides had agreed that the schedule for the transfer of the case to the model court may be issued on the next date.

Published in Dawn, July 30th, 2021