KARACHI: An antiterrorism court (ATC) has sentenced a mugger to 25-year imprisonment for wounding a policeman during an encounter and spreading terror in the area.

Daniyal Sarwar was found guilty of shooting at and wounding Constable Moosa Raza during an encounter with the intention of killing and causing terror within the remit of Bahadurabad police station.

The ATC-XIII judge, who conducted the trial in the judicial complex inside the central prison, pronounced the verdict reserved after recording evidence and final arguments from both sides.

The judge noted that the prosecution had proved the case against the detained accused.

The judge awarded him a collective sentence of 25 years and also ordered to pay a collective fine of Rs115,000 or undergo additional 10-month imprisonment on default.

“The whole property of the accused Daniyal is forfeited to the government,” ruled the court.

The court extended the convict benefit of Section 382-B (period of detention to be considered while awarding sentence of imprisonment) of the Criminal Procedure Code (CrPC) and ordered that all the sentences shall run concurrently.

The accused, who was present in court, was sent to the prison to serve out remaining portion of his sentences.

According to the prosecution, policemen on patrolling duty had spotted a man in suspicious condition and signaled him to stop, but he opened fire on them.

It further mentioned that a policeman, Moosa Raza, was hurt by the firing of the accused, who was arrested after an exchange of firing and was later identified as Daniyal.

State prosecutor Ghulam Murtaza Maitelo argued that there was sufficient ocular as well as material, medical and forensic evidence available to establish the offences committed by the accused. He pleaded to punish him according to the law.

On the other hand, while recording his statement under the Section 42 of the CrPC, the accused Daniyal claimed innocence, pleading to be acquitted of the alleged false allegations.

A case was registered under Sections 324 (attempted murder), 337(-F(i) (punishment for ghayr-e-jaifah) and 353 (assault or criminal force to deter public servant from discharge of his duty), 427 (mischief causing damage to the amount of fifty rupees) and 34 (common intention) of the Pakistan Penal Code read with the Section 7 (punishment for acts of terrorism) of the Anti-Terrorism Act, 1997 at the Bahadurabad police station on the complaint of the police constable Sarwar.

Published in Dawn, July 3rd, 2023