KARACHI, Oct 13: The anti-terrorism court No. 4, headed by Judge Khan Pervaiz Chang, sentenced on Saturday three carjackers to suffer rigorous imprisonment for 10 years.
The judge also sentenced Ali Gohar, Muhammed Farooq and Abdus to a seven-year term for possessing unlicensed weapons.
The three accused, who were caught red-handed after an abortive attempt of carjacking, were also fined Rs5,000 each and the judge ordered that the defaulter on the payment would have to undergo an additional three-month term.
According to the prosecution, represented by special public prosecutor Feroze Mehmood Bhatti, complainant Muhammed Asghar was on his way in his taxi on June 19 this year when three bandits intercepted him around 2:30pm near Dalmia Colony within the limits of the Aziz Bhatti police.
The accused held the taxi driver hostage at gunpoint and deprived him of his vehicle. As they were about to drive the snatched vehicle away, a police patrol appeared there and arrested the fleeing dacoits.
The prosecution examined the complainant and three police officials as witnesses against the accused persons.
Earlier on 3rd, a man, appearing as a defence witness, was arrested by the police on the court’s orders as he had deposed falsely before the court. Muhammed Yaqeen Shaheed, the DW, submitted before the court that he was a tailor having a shop near the place of the incident. However, he retracted his statement when the court asked the prosecution to verify his credentials.
The man was taken into custody by the police and a case under section 193 was lodged against him by the TPX police.
ACQUITTED: The additional district and sessions judge, Central, Ahmed Nawaz Shaikh, acquitted two workers of the Muttahida Qaumi Movement in a case pertaining to possession of unlicensed weapons.
The judge exonerated Farasat Mirza and Abdul Hafeez alias Kala Bachcha from the charges as the prosecution could not prove its case against them.
The case against the Muttahida men was registered in 1995 by the Gulbahar police.
CONVICTED: The special Anti-narcotics court, headed by Judge Ali Nawaz Pirzada, convicted two drug traffickers, both Nigerians, and sentenced them to different terms.
Accused Alex, who was arrested on July 5, this year at the airport by the Anti-narcotics Force (ANF), was sentenced to suffer rigorous imprisonment for four years for possessing 476 grams heroin.
The drug trafficker, who had concealed the contraband drug, stuffed in 38 capsules, in his rectum, was also fined Rs25,000. He will have to undergo an additional one-year RI in case of default on the payment.
The judge sentenced Frank, also a Nigerian who was found possessing 1.117 kgs heroin, to suffer rigorous imprisonment for eight years.
The drug trafficker, who was arrested on May 4 this year at the airport by the ANF, was also fined Rs25,000 and in case of default he would have to undergo an additional one-year term.
Meanwhile, the district and sessions judge, West, Ms Qaiser Iqbal, sentenced a drug peddler to a two year term for possessing 14 grams heroin.
Accused Akbar, arrested early this year by the Orangi Extension police, was convicted after he pleaded guilty.
The judge also imposed a fine of Rs500 on the drug peddler, who would have to undergo an additional one-month term.
MURDER CASE: The district and sessions judge, Central, Zafar Ahmed Sherwani, ordered on Monday the provincial home secretary to explain why Asif Ali Zaradar, one of the accused in Justice Nizam murder case, was not being produced before the court.
The spouse of former prime minister Benazir Bhutto along with three co-accused — Akhtar Javed Pirzada, Bilal Shaikh and Babar Sindhu — are facing the charges of double murder.