KARACHI: A sessions court has acquitted three employees of a textile mill in a case pertaining to theft of water from a main line of the Karachi Water and Sewerage Board (KWSB) due to lack of evidence.

Gul Zameen, Faqeer Gul and Taimoor moved their acquittal applications under Section 265-K of the Criminal Procedure Code.

Additional District and Sessions Judge (East) exonerated them from all charges.

According to the prosecution, the KWSB’s Anti-Water Theft Cell had caught two employees of the textile mill — Gul Zameen, Faqeer Gul — along with tanker driver Taimoor near Qatar Masjid in Sector 1-A, Orangi Town when they were stealing water from the main line.

Defence counsel Liaquat Ali Gabol argued that since the indictment of his clients, the prosecution had failed to produce its witnesses for recording their statements despite repeated notices issued to them by the court.

He further argued that the accused were arrested while they were travelling in an empty water tanker.

On the other hand, the state prosecutor contended that the water tanker in question was impounded on the spot while other material evidence proved the involvement of the accused in the commissioning of the alleged offence.

A case was registered under the provisions of the Karachi Water and Sewerage Act on the complaint of the anti-water theft cell’s in-charge Saeed Ahmed.

Published in Dawn, February 26th, 2023