KARACHI, July 21: An anti-terrorism court on Saturday recorded the statements of four prosecution witnesses in the kidnapping for ransom and murder case of a boy on Nov 30, 2006.

Judge Ghulam Ali A. Samtio of ATC-1 had indicted Asif Brohi on July 16 and fixed July 18 for recording the statements of the prosecution witnesses, but the case could not be processed as lawyers stayed away from the court proceedings in protest against the suspension of Chief Justice Iftikhar Mohammad Chaudhry.

Special Pubic Prosecutor Niamat Ali Randhawa produced four witnesses against the accused on Saturday. One of the witnesses, Mohammad Ashfaq, is the maternal uncle of the victim. Another witness, Mohammad Taufeeq, is an inspector in the fire brigade who helped recovered the body.

Ghulam Farid and Mumtaz Khan, who had delivered the ransom amount to the accused, also recorded their statements.

The court fixed Aug 2 for recording the statements of four other witnesses in the case.

According to the prosecution, Asif Brohi along with absconding co-accused Aijaz and Imran Ali had kidnapped six-year-old Mohammad Faisal on Nov 29, 2006 from Daud Goth. They demanded Rs400,000 ransom for his release from Mohammad Ashfaq, the maternal uncle of the victim, who refused to pay the amount. After some negotiations on telephone, the kidnappers and the victim’s family agreed on Rs35,000. However, the kidnappers did not release the boy even after receiving the amount. Instead, they strangled him and threw his body into a well in Memon Goth on Nov 30.