KARACHI, Feb 7: A judicial magistrate on Tuesday granted bail to a policeman in a case pertaining to the escape of an undertrial prisoner.

Police Constable Inayat Ali has been booked and arrested for showing negligence following the escape of an undertrial prisoner from the city court's lock-up under mysterious circumstances on Monday evening.

On Tuesday, the City Courts police station produced the policeman before Judicial Magistrate (south) Inayatullah Bhutto for remand. However, the magistrate granted him bail against a surety bond of Rs30,000.

According to the FIR, UTP Malik Altaf was confined to the Karachi central prison in an attempted murder case registered at the Gulberg police station. The accused was brought to the city courts from prison on Monday for the hearing of his case before the district and sessions court (central).

However, the accused somehow managed to escape. Surprisingly, the staff of the lock-up remained unaware about his escape till the evening when the last UTP van was about to leave, it added.

However, a lone policeman posted at the gate of the lock-up was booked in the case since officials believed that the UTP had managed to slip out of the lock-up through its gate by dodging the policeman.

A case (FIR 96/11) was registered under Sections 224 (resistance or obstruction by a person to his lawful apprehension) and 225 (resistance or obstruction to lawful apprehension of another person) of the Pakistan Penal Code.

Ajmal Pahari acquitted

in triple murder case

A sessions court on Tuesday acquitted a man in a triple murder case for want of evidence.

Shahnawaz alias Ajmal Pahari was charged with killing Badr Iqbal of the Mohajir Qaumi Movement (Haqiqi) and two others within the remit of the Risala police station in March 2006.

The accused through his lawyer filed an acquittal application in court under Section 265-K (power of court to acquit the accused) of the criminal procedure code.

Additional District and Sessions Judge (south) Javed Ahmed Keerio, who conducted the trial in the judicial complex in the Karachi central prison, allowed the acquittal plea after hearing arguments from both sides.

Earlier, the defence counsel contended that the accused was framed in a blind FIR on the basis of his so-called confession before the police.

He maintained that the prosecution had failed to prove its case as they examined three key witnesses but none of them identified the accused.

However, the public prosecutor opposed the plea and argued that the prosecution had still enough evidence against the accused to link him with the offence.

According to the prosecution, the accused along with his accomplices had killed MQM-H leader Badr Iqbal, Sarfraz and Danish and wounded Shuja, Fahim and Amin in an armed attack on March 17, 2006.

A case (FIR 45/2006) was registered under Sections 302 (premeditated murder), 324 (attempted murder), 114 (abettor present when offence committed) and 34 (common intention) of the Pakistan Penal Code at the Risala police station.

Meanwhile, the same court on Tuesday reserved its order on two bail applications of accused Shahnawaz alias Ajmal Pahari in as many murder cases till Wednesday.

The Crime Investigation Department claimed to have arrested the accused after a shoot-out in the New Karachi area on March 28, 2011 and alleged that he was involved in more than 100 cases of targeted killing.

However, according to the defence counsel, Mushtaq Ahmed, the accused had so far been acquitted in 12 cases for want of evidence and six cases, including three of murder, two relating to illicit weapons and one explosive substance were still pending in courts.