MULTAN, Dec 20: A local court handed down death sentence to one of the two Nishtar Medical College students who had kidnapped and murdered a class fellow some two years ago.

The additional district and sessions judge awarded capital punishment to Atif Latif and life imprisonment to co-accused Hasnain Akram.

Besides the punishments in the major offence, each of the convict was sentenced to 10-year rigorous imprisonment with a fine of Rs10,000 for kidnapping, 10-year RI and Rs10,000 fine for dacoity, seven-year RI and Rs10,000 fine for destroying evidence and three-year RI for forgery.

Both the convicts will have to pay Rs50,000 each to the family of the slain youth. In case of default, they will have to undergo another six-month RI.

According to the prosecution, Atif and Hasnain, the students of third professional, took Ahmad Hasan along with them from the college library on July 14, 2000, on the pretext of having a round of the city. They took Hasan to a deserted place and shot him dead. Later, they threw his body in Sikandaria Canal and fled on his car to Bahawalpur where they contacted dealers for its sale. When some dealers expressed doubts about documents of the car, they abandoned it on a deserted road in Bahawalpur and returned to Multan.

By that time, the body of Hasan had been recovered. Their disappearance after being seen last time together with Hasan turned them the prime suspect of his murder.

The police collected evidence that proved their stay in a Bahawalpur hotel, while some of the car dealers also identified them. Some 23 witnesses recorded their statements in the case.

The deceased was the elder son of local journalist Masihullah Khan Jampuri.