KARACHI: A sessions court has handed down death sentence to four accused for murdering a 52-year-old man over a financial matter.

Additional District and Sessions Judge Aziz ur Rehman Junejo, who is also the presiding officer of the Model Criminal Trial Court (East), on Wednesday found the accused Rafiq Ahmed — who hired two assassins, Usman Ali and Sheeraz alias Sheri along with facilitator Zameer Ahmed alias Zameer Pathan — guilty of murdering Masood Ahmed after he demanded his outstanding amount from Rafiq.

The court also imposed a fine of Rs100,000 on each convict as compensation to the legal heirs of the deceased. In case of failure, they would undergo additional imprisonment for six months.

The court noted that Rafiq had hired Usman and Sheeraz to murder Masood over a financial matter, with evidence suggesting that the motorcycle and weapons were provided by Zameer. The Call Data Record (CDR) further substantiated the charges against Zameer, as the CDR indicated that Usman was in contact with Zameer before and after the incident, the court noted.

In his statement, the investigation officer informed the court that during interrogation, accused Usman disclosed that Rafiq had given him Rs100,000 and informed him that Masood was his partner who had invested the amount in their business. When Masood demanded the return of his amount, Rafiq hired Usman’s services to kill him. Usman further disclosed that he obtained the help of his friend Sheeraz, while Rafiq pointed out Masood’s house to them.

According to state prosecutor Muhammad Ashraf Bhatti, on November 26, 2021, when Masood left his home for work, two assassins on a motorcycle stopped his car, opened fire, and managed to escape from the spot. Subsequently, his wife and son shifted him to a hospital where he died.

Later, the police arrested Rafiq and Sheeraz, who disclosed their involvement in the offence and revealed the names of the other accused, outlining their specific roles in the murder.

During the trial, the accused person denied the charges and claimed that they had been falsely implicated in the case.

The case was registered at Korangi police station under Sections 302(murder) 109 (abetment) and 34 (common intention) of the Pakistan Penal Code.

Published in Dawn, July 25th, 2024