KARACHI, Aug 1: An anti-terrorism court on Wednesday recorded the statement of a prosecution witness in the case of kidnapping, rape and killing of a minor girl. The incident took place on Feb 22, 2006 in the Rizvia Society police limits.

Accused Saleem Ahmed alias Babloo, son of Abdur Rasheed, was indicted on July 23, but he had pleaded not guilty in the court of ATC-1 Judge Ghulam Ali A. Samtio.

Witness Ikram in his statement said he knew the accused who lived in the same locality where the witness lived. He said he had seen the accused throwing the girl’s body into a sewer. The accused was arrested in his presence, who later confessed to his crime in the Rizvia Society police station.

The judge fixed Aug 3 as the next date of hearing and asked Special Public Prosecutor Niamat Ali Randhawa to produce the rest of prosecution witnesses before the court for recording their statements in the case.

According to the prosecution, the accused kidnapped a three-year-old girl identified as Maryam, daughter of Bashir Ahmed of Rizvia Society, in front of her residence on Feb 22, 2006.

The accused raped the child, who fainted and later died. He was throwing something wrapped in a piece of cloth into a sewer when a police constable and an area resident saw him and arrested him.

He tried to convince the people gathered there that he was innocent. He was, however, brought to the Rizvia Society police station, where he confessed to his crime.

The police informed Edhi volunteers and the body was retrieved from the sewer near the Gutter Baghicha.