KARACHI, Aug 30: An anti-terrorism court on Thursday deferred until today (August 31) the judgment in the murder and kidnapping for ransom case of a minor boy, Mohammed Faisal.

After hearing the final arguments on August 24, Judge Ghulam Ali Samtio of ATC-1 had fixed August 30 for the pronouncement of his order. However, the date had to be deferred due to the hearing of another case.

The boy was kidnapped from Dawood Goth, within the limits of the Malir City police station, on November 29, 2006.

The court had indicted the accused, Asif Brohi, on July 18, but he had pleaded not guilty and opted to contest the case.

Special Public Prosecutor Niamat Ali Randhawa pleaded that witnesses’ depositions and police investigation had proved that Mr Brohi and his accomplices had kidnapped the boy and had killed him. He contended that there was enough proof for conviction and the accused should be awarded the death sentence on two counts, one for kidnapping for ransom and the other for killing the victim.

According to the prosecution, the accused Asif Brohi with absconding co-accused Aijaz and Imran Ali kidnapped seven-year-old Mohammed Faisal on November 29 last year from Dawood Goth and demanded a ransom of Rs400, 000 from Mohammed Ashfaq, the victim’s maternal uncle.

After negotiations, the boy’s family paid Rs35,000 to the accused. Instead of releasing him, however, the accused allegedly strangled the child on November 30 and threw his body in a well near Memon Goth, Gadap Town.

Faisal’s body was recovered on December 22, 2006, on the indication of the accused in the presence of the local elders, elected representatives, media persons and staff of the fire brigade, police officials and the victim’s relatives. FIR 214/06 was registered at the Malir City police station under Section 302 and 356-A of the Pakistan Penal Code.

The accused was arrested on December 21 with the help of mobile phone companies that helped tracked the SIMs being used by Mr Brohi to negotiate with the victim’s family.