KARACHI, Feb 1: An anti-terrorism court has sentenced two men to life imprisonment on two counts for the kidnapping and killing of a jeweller.

The court convicted Iftikhar and Nawaz after it found them guilty of kidnapping the jeweller, Shaikh Mohammad Aslam, for ransom and his murder.

Judge Abdul Ghafoor Memon, who was conducting the trial, pronounced his verdict on Saturday after recording the final arguments from both sides.

The court, in its verdict, said that the prosecution successfully proved its case beyond any shadow of doubt by producing satisfactory evidence in the trial court.

The court also imposed a fine of Rs200,000 on each and in case of default the convict would undergo an additional imprisonment of two years.

The prosecution had presented 10 witnesses in court.

According to the prosecution, on April 25, 2008 the accused kidnapped the jeweller in the limits of the Darakshan police station and demanded a ransom of Rs3 million from his family. They reduced the ransom amount to Rs600,000. However, the accused allegedly killed the jeweller.

They were arrested by the Anti-Violent Crime Cell and the Citizens-Police Liaison Committee on May 30 in Bhittai Colony, near Korangi Crossing. Their accomplice, Rasheed Khan, is still at large.

According to the charge-sheet, one of the accused persons was a relative of the deceased. The accused brought the jeweller to a vacant bungalow in PECHS, held him hostage and demanded that his family pay ransom for his release. However, the accused had killed him since the ransom amount could not be settled with the victim’s family. They dumped the body in the underground water tank, which was recovered by the police on a lead given by the arrested accused. Nawaz was the caretaker of the vacant bungalow.

A case (FIR 223/08) was registered under Sections 365-A and 302/34 of the Pakistan Penal Code at the Darakshan police station.