RAWALPINDI, Jan 12: An anti-terrorism court (ATC) here on Monday absolved four accused in a kidnap for ransom case owing to inadequate evidence against them and ordered their release if not wanted in any other criminal case.

ATC-II Judge Sakhi Mohammad Kahot acquitted Bahar Ali, Mushtaq, Jamshaid and Imtiaz for kidnapping L.R. Davis for ransom from the area of Bhara Kahu police in February last year for want of sufficient evidence against them.

The accused were booked by the police after the wife of the kidnapped person lodged a complaint that some unknown men entered her house and after robbing the valuables they took her husband along with them. The accused were later arrested but were found innocent in the subsequent trial.

Meanwhile the Adiala jail superintendent submitted a medical report of a terror accused with ATC-I stating that the condition of the accused was improving and he would be produced in the court on the next date of hearing.

The judge, Chaudhry Habibur Rehman, had directed the jail administration to conduct medical checkup of the accused, Khalid Saifullah, and submit the report after his lawyer moved an application, saying that his client had been tortured and was unable to walk.

The jail authorities denied the torture and maintained that the health of the accused had deteriorated.

The court put off the hearing in Khalid’s bail application till January 23. Khalid was arrested last May by the Civil Lines police along with two other accused and recovered a suicide vest, some hand grenades and hate material from their custody.

The accused had maintained that he was taken into custody in March last year but police claimed that his arrest took place in May. The other two accused had already been granted bail in the case.

Separately the ATC-I put off the hearing in the case of five men arrested in connection with carrying out a suicide attack on a school bus carrying children of air force personnel in December 2007 after their lawyer sought adjournment.

The accused -- Khair Malang, Hafiz Saeedul Akbar, Israrul Haq, Amin Khan, Fareed Khan and Ghulam Nabi -- were to be formally indicted for their alleged involvement in the attack on the school bus near Pakistan Aeronautical Complex Kamra.