KARACHI: A sessions court on Tuesday sentenced a former policeman to life in prison for wounding his ex-fiancée in an acid attack to avenge the refusal to his marriage proposal in 2015.

Zeeshan Umar alias Ali was found guilty of attacking 19-year-old Raheela Raheem, her brother and nephew on July 5, 2015 in Mobina Town. However, the court acquitted co-accused Agha Sohrab for want of evidence.

On Tuesday, Additional District and Sessions Judge (East) Javed Hyder Phulpoto pronounced his verdict reserved after recording evidence and final arguments. The trial took six years to conclude.

The judge also imposed a fine of Rs1 million on the convict.

Complainant’s counsel Salahuddin Panhwar said that according to the prosecution, accused Umar and Raheela got engaged in 2015, but they broke up after a couple of months as her family considered him (Umar) a mugger.

He said on the day of the incident, which is a day before Eid, the victim had gone to a local market to get henna applied on her hands. She was standing outside her house carrying her six-month-old nephew, Muhammad Hadi, when accused Umar suddenly emerged there and threw acid on her and the little kid.

The attack had completely burnt her face and she lost one eye while her nephew also suffered serious burns, the added.

The counsel said that as the accused was a police constable the victim had to leave Karachi and move to Islamabad due to the threats. Besides, the accused had also attempted to influence the investigation of the case.

In 2017, the Supreme Court had ordered the police to provide security to the victim and her family, the counsel pointed out and added that they still needed security since the police high-ups had failed to comply with the apex court’s directives.

Published in Dawn, December 15th, 2021