KARACHI: A model court on Thursday handed down death sentence to an accused and life imprisonment to his three accomplices for murdering an 18-year-old student during a robbery-cum-murder incident in Gharibabad in 2021.

The accused Bilal, Zubair, Shahid Qureshi and Israr alias Nanno were found guilty of robbing Osama Saeed and mechanic Zeeshan of their belongings, and then shooting the latter to death over the apprehension of reactionary attack by them on Feb 20, 2021.

Additional District and Sessions’ Judge Liaqat Ali Khoso of the Model Criminal Trial Court (Central) pronounced his reserved verdict after recording evidence and final arguments from both sides.

The judge noted that the prosecution successfully proved that accused Bilal had committed the offence of murder “against a young boy of 18-years of age, in a brutal, flagitious, ruthful and atrocious manner, which warrants maximum punishment”.

The judge also awarded him five-year imprisonment in jail for committing an armed robbery.

The judge awarded life imprisonment to three other accused Zubair, Shahid Qureshi and Israr alias Nanno for sharing common intention in the commissioning of the offence.

However, the capital punishment awarded to the prime suspect Bilal is subject to its confirmation by the Sindh High Court or otherwise.

The court also extended the benefit of the Section 382-B (considering period of detention while awarding sentence) of the criminal procedure code to all the convicts.

According to the prosecution, Osama Saeed came to the workshop of mechanic Zeeshan along with Farhan in his car (AYT-355) on Feb 20, 2021 in Gharibabad area.

It further mentioned that both the men sat in the car when an unidentified motorcyclist suddenly came there and snatched an Iphone from Osama and purse from Zeeshan at gunpoint.

“The mugger went back to the co-accused, who was waiting on the motorcycle, and after talking for some time returned and opened straight fire on Saeed [Osama],” added the prosecution.

The victim was rushed to the Usman Memorial Hospital and then to the Agha Khan Hospital, but succumbed to his wounds.

The first investigating officer, Inspector Syed Farhan, interrogated an already arrested accused Bilal, and got conducted his identification parade, when the investigation was transferred to the second IO Inspector Irshad Gabol, who arrested Zubari, Shahid and Israr on March 11, 2021, and got their identification parade conducted.

The court indicted the accused persons. However, they pleaded not guilty and opted to contest the case.

The eyewitnesses deposed that accused Bilal had snatched belongings from the victim and also shot fire on him, while Zubair was riding the motorcycle on which they came and fled.

The prosecution added that that accused Shahid Qureshi and Israr were also present on a motorcycle near the place of the incident, adding that looted belongings of Zeeshan were recovered from Qureshi at the time of his arrest.

The prosecution claimed that the whole incident of robbery and murder was captured by a close circuit camera installed near the place of the incident, which led the witnesses to believe that the four accused were inter-linked to each other.

It further mentioned that the cases of 30 bore pistol recovered from the crime scene had matched with the weapon used in different criminal cases lodged at the Bilal Colony, Manghopir and Sharifabad.

It said that the accused Bilal had disclosed during interrogation that after robbing Osama and Zeeshan of their purse and cell phones, he returned back apprehending that they might have a weapon and open fire on them in reaction to robbery. Therefore, the accused shot Osama, who subsequently died.

In his statement under the Section 342 of the Criminal Procedure Code, the accused Bilal alleged that the assistant sub-inspector Irfan Shahzad had framed him in the present case falsely due to a quarrel over non-payment of bribe by him to the police official. He claimed to be innocent in the subject case.

Three other accused also claimed their innocence in the case, but did not take any specific plea in their defence.

Separate cases were registered under the Sections 302 (premeditated murder), 392 (punishment for robbery), 397 (robbery or dacoity with attempt to cause death or grievous hurt) and 34 (common intention) of the Pakistan Penal Code read with the Section 31(1)-A of the Sindh Arms Act, 2013.

Published in Dawn, March 11th, 2022