KARACHI, Jan 9 An additional district and sessions judge (south) on Friday directed the jail authorities to shift Kamran Tessori, a well-known gold trader, to hospital for necessary medical treatment.

The counsel for the suspect had earlier moved an application to the court stating that his client was suffering from a skin infection and asthma, while a Central Prison medical officer`s report was also produced in court.

The applicant`s counsel requested the court to authorise a transfer to the Aga Khan Hospital for medical treatment.

The public prosecutor did not oppose the plea.

The judge, Nizar Ali Khawaja, then allowed the application and directed the jail authorities to shift the suspect to hospital under a police squad and to submit a compliance report on the next hearing.

The suspect was booked in a case registered under Section 13-E of the Arms Ordinance at Gizri police station. The hearing was adjourned till Jan 19.

The prosecution has also provided copies of statements and documents to the accused under Section 265-C of the Criminal Procedure Code and the court will indict him on the next hearing.

The police had arrested Kamran Tessori from Karachi airport upon his arrival from Islamabad on Nov 5, 2008.

The prosecution said that on July 25, the police had received information regarding the presence of Kamran Tessori, Mohammad Imran Tessori and Mohammad Khalid Siddiqui at Hawkesbay beach.

The suspects were wanted in a case (FIR 07/2008) registered in district Badin, it said, adding that the police party conducted a raid at Hawkesbay.

The suspects were allegedly in a white Toyota Corolla, and are said to have opened fire on police officers when asked to stop the vehicle. The police say that after opening fire, the three managed to evade arrest and escape.

The police registered a case (FIR 112/08) on behalf of the state against the suspects under Section 324 and 353/34 of Pakistan Penal Code at Docks police station. Later, the police claimed that they recovered illegal weapons and narcotics on a lead given by Kamran Tessori during the interrogation.

They then registered around four cases against the suspect under the Arms Ordinance, Prohibition of Hadd Ordinance and the Control of Narcotic Substances Act 1997 at Preedy and Gizri police stations.

The investigation officer had submitted charge-sheets in the three cases registered at Preedy police station.

However, on Nov 8, a public prosecutor had rejected the charge-sheets by maintaining that the entire procedure was done in violation of Sections 165 (search by police officer) and 166 (when officer in-charge of police station may require another to issue search warrant) of Criminal Procedure Code and directed the IO to submit a report in class “C”.

He observed that the suspect was in the custody of the Docks police when, according to the police, he disclosed information regarding the presence of alcohol, narcotics and an illegal weapon at his office on Zaibunnisa Street in the limits of Preedy police station.

Earlier, the police had taken Kamran Tessori into custody for his alleged involvement in a land scam pertaining to the proposed Gold City project in interior of Sindh and for which the former chief minister of Sindh, Dr Arbab Ghulam Rahim, had allotted him around 80 acres of land for industrial purposes.

The land was originally part of a historical graveyard. However, the police claimed that Tessori had managed to escape from police custody when he was shifted to Badin.