KARACHI, Jan 23: A division bench of the Sindh High Court accepted appeals of two convicts/accused in a kidnapping case and set aside life imprisonment awarded to them by an ATC and ordered their release.

The bench consisted of Justice Shabbir Ahmed and Justice Azizullah M. Memon.

According to the prosecution, Shamim Bhatti lodged an FIR at New Town police station on May 7, 1997 that unidentified persons kidnapped his seven-year-old daughter Maria. On the next day of lodging of the FIR, Ibrahim, co-accused in the case, called Maria’s father on phone and demanded Rs500,000 ransom for her release.

Ibrahim was identified by Shamim’s neighbour by his voice. Police raided Ibrahim’s residence in Race Course area and arrested him and his accomplice Kamran on May 11, 1997.

They were tried in an ATC. Judge Kausar Shah Bukhari, after hearing the statements of the complainant, his wife and a woman relation, awarded them life imprisonment in the kidnapping case on October 26, 2000.

Mahmood Alam Rizvi and M. M. Tariq, counsel on behalf of the petitioners, contended that the petitioners were falsely implicated in the kidnapping case.

The court accepted the petitioners’ appeals and ordered the release of Kamran and Ibrahim.

The Administrative Judge of the anti-terrorism courts at Karachi, Justice Shabbir Ahmed, accepted the challan of accused Liaquat, involved in the kidnapping of a 15-year-old boy, Abid, and referred his case to the ATC-III.

According to the prosecution, Liaquat kidnapped Abid in Korangi on Jan 2 and demanded a ransom of Rs50,000 from his family. He released Abid after taking Rs2,000 and asked his family to pay the rest of the amount later. Abid contacted police and Liaquat was arrested.

The hearing of the case begins on Jan 30. — PPI