KARACHI, July 16: An anti-terrorism court on Monday remanded a seventh suspect in jail custody in a doctor’s kidnapping and murder case.

The victim, Dr Aftab Qureshi, a neurosurgeon, was kidnapped on May 12 from a place within the remit of the Brigade police station and taken to Hyderabad. On May 30, the house where the victim was kept was raided and in the ensuing exchange fire one of the alleged kidnappers was killed. After the encounter, Dr Qureshi was also found shot dead in the house.

Five suspects, Dr Ashok Kumar (stated to be a quack), Farooq, Azhar Ali, Imdad Ali, Hath Khan and Abdul Aziz have already been remanded in jail custody in the case.

On Monday, the police produced another suspect, Mohammad Irfan, before ATC-I judge Ghulam Mustafa Memon, who sent him to prison on a judicial remand till July 24 after expiry of his physical remand. The judge directed the investigating officer of the case to produce the charge-sheet on the next hearing.

The suspects have been booked under Section 302 (premeditated murder), 365-A (kidnapping for ransom) and 34 (common intention) of the Pakistan Penal Code read with Section 7 of the Anti-terrorism Act on a complaint lodged by the victim’s son.

Robber convicted

A sessions court on Monday sentenced a man to three years imprisonment in a robbery case.

Mohammad Arif was found guilty of committing a house robbery within the remit of the Jackson police station in 2008.

The court also ordered him to pay a fine of Rs5,000. In case of default, the convict would have to undergo an additional three-month imprisonment. The convict, who was on bail, was taken in custody and sent to prison.

Artefacts smuggling case

A judicial magistrate on Monday extended the physical remand of three suspects for four days while a sessions court put off the hearing on an interim pre-arrest bail of two suspects in an artefacts smuggling case.

Suspects Zafar and Asif Majeed, the driver and cleaner of a container, respectively, were arrested on July 6 while allegedly transporting a large number of Gandhara civilisation artefacts and relics. Another suspect, Tahir Butt, was arrested in same case on July 10.

The police reproduced the suspects in the court of a judicial magistrate (east) on Monday following expiry of their remand and the investigating officer requested the court to extend their physical remand since the investigation was not completed yet.

Accepting the IO’s request, the magistrate, Aleem Ahmed, handed over the suspects back to the police till July 20.

Meanwhile, a sessions court adjourned the hearing of the interim pre-arrest bail sought by two other suspects, said to be involved in the same case, till July 24.

On July 10, the court had granted an interim pre-arrest bail to Atif and Asif against a surety bond of Rs50,000 each. The suspects were ordered to appear in the court on next hearing for confirmation of their bail or otherwise.

According to the prosecution, the police had arrested the driver and clearer of a container for allegedly transporting a large number of Gandhara civilisation artefacts and relics to Sialkot within the remit of Awami Colony police station. Later, it also recovered more relics and artefacts in a warehouse in Korangi.

A case was registered against the suspects under Sections 26, 27, 29, 32 and 34 of the Antiquities Act at the Awami Colony police station. Atif and Asif are said to be the brothers of the detained suspect, Tahir Butt.