KARACHI, May 18: An anti-terrorism court sentenced on Thursday two men to life in jail for kidnapping a three-year-old boy for ransom.

Judge Ghulam Ali A. Samtio of the ATC-1 also ordered forfeiture of entire moveable and immoveable properties of Mohammed Farid and Mohammed Atiq.

Farid, the first cousin of victim’s father, had masterminded the kidnapping and his friend, Atiq, had negotiated the ransom amount with the victim’s family.

The two kidnapped Mohammed Owais from in front of his house in Saeedabad in the evening on July 22 last. They took the boy to Atiq’s flat in Gulshan-i-Iqbal and demanded Rs500, 000 from victim’s father, Mohammed Arif, for the release of the boy.

However, the kidnappers agreed to accept Rs150,000 as ransom after a series of negotiations with the victim’s father.

They asked Arif to bring money at a place near Liaquatabad on July 23. However, the kidnappers did not turn up and later they phoned the victim’s father to bring the money the next day to another place near Sir Syed University.

Meanwhile, the victim’s father reported the matter to the Citizen-Police Liaison Committee, which advised him to lodge an FIR. The police referred the investigation to the Anti-Violent Crime Cell, which contacted the victim’s father.

As advised, Arif’s brother Mohammed Amin, with two neighbours reached the place where officials of the AVCC and the CPLC had already positioned themselves.

Around 7pm, Mohammed Atiq reached the spot in his car and phoned Amin telling him that he was waiting for him to receive the ransom amount. Amin approached the waiting kidnapper and handed him the money. As Atiq headed towards his car, the police nabbed him red-handed and seized the ransom from him.

During preliminary interrogation on the spot, Atiq broke down and told the police that the kidnapped boy was present in his flat.