KARACHI, March 2: An anti-terrorism court reserved on Thursday judgment in a kidnapping for ransom case against three accused. Judge Syed Saghir Hussain Zaidi of the ATC-3 fixed March 8 for pronouncement of the judgment after hearing final arguments from prosecution and defence attorneys.

Akram alias Shaheen, Gul Hasan Brohi, Abdul Jalil have been prosecuted for kidnapping Zakir Rehman, a grain dealer, and his two young sons for ransom, who were released after payment of Rs3.4 million.

According to prosecution, the trader was going to his home on his bike on Oct 15, 2005, when eight occupants of a Suzuki pick-up intercepted him in Chakiwara and took him away at gunpoint. The kidnappers demanded Rs4 million for his release.

It was alleged that on Oct 25 victim’s wife, Zakia, his two sons, Abdullah, 13, and Haseebur Rehman, and his elder brother, Habibur Rehman, met the kidnappers at an appointed place in Chakiwara where the three accused received Rs500,000 as part payment of ransom.

The kidnappers, however, made the victim’s sons hostage before they released the trader. The accused asked the trader to pay the remaining Rs3.5 million.

According to prosecution, after 10 days the trader went to meet the kidnappers and got the children released after paying them a further Rs2.9 million. He finally reported the matter to the police after the kidnappers kept on demanding the remaining Rs600,000 from him and threatened him of dire consequences in case of non-payment.