KARACHI: A judicial magistrate has granted bail to the officer in charge of the judicial lock-up at the City Courts in a case pertaining to the escape of a suspect allegedly involved in kidnapping of two young girls for ransom in Defence Housing Authority.

Zohaib Ali Qureshi, said to be the prime accused in the kidnapping of Dua Mangi and Bisma in 2019, was brought to the City Courts judicial complex on Jan 27 in connection with the hearing of his case. Two court police officials — head constable Naveed and Habib Zafar — who were reportedly escorting him back to Karachi central prison in a private vehicle. The UTP asked to take him to Dolmen Mall on the Tariq Road for shopping, from where he escaped.

Both the cops are already in police custody on remand, while police had arrested the lock-up’s in charge Sub-Inspector Qamaruddin on Friday.

On Saturday, he moved an application before the judicial magistrate (East) to seek post-arrest bail in the case.

The defence counsel said the applicant was booked in the present case despite he had no direct role to play in the negligence allegedly demonstrated by two policemen, who were on duty to escort UTP Qureshi from the prison to court and back to the prison.

The judge was requested to grant him post-arrest bail, assuring that he was already cooperating in the investigation and would not abscond away if he was granted bail.

After hearing arguments, the magistrate granted him bail against a surety bond of Rs25,000.

A case was registered under Sections 223 (escape from confinement or custody negligently suffered by public servant), 224 (resistance or obstruction by a person to his lawful apprehension) and 225-A (omission to apprehend, or sufferance of escape, on part of public servant, in cases not otherwise provided for) of the Pakistan Penal Code on the complaint of ASI Muhammad Khalid at the Ferozabad police station.

Published in Dawn, January 31st, 2022