KARACHI, March 4: An anti-terrorism court recorded on Saturday the statement of two prosecution witnesses in the kidnapping and murder case of an 18-year-old man. Mehboob Ali, a cloth merchant, was kidnapped for ransom allegedly by his relatives who slaughtered him even after receiving money for his release from his family.
The victim was running a cloth shop with his paternal uncle in Lea Market. On Aug 23, 2005, his second cousin, Uzma, called him on his mobile around 6pm. The cousin asked him to come to her house in Garden East.
Jahanzeb, husband of Uzma, his elder brother Aurangzeb and one of their relatives, Mohammed Arif, made Mehboob hostage when he reached Uzma’s house. The kidnappers contacted the victim’s family through his cellular phone and demanded Rs4 million for his release.
However, later the kidnappers agreed to accept Rs500,000 after a series of negotiations with the victim’s family. On Aug 25, the kidnappers phoned victim’s paternal uncle Asghar Ali around 4:30am and asked him to bring the money at a place near Lyari Expressway.
Asghar Ali, along with victim’s elder brother Mohammed Akram, took with him Rs475,000 and went to the appointed place where the kidnappers, along with the victim came in a car. Asghar and Akram, who recognized the kidnappers, told them they did not need to kidnap Mehboob if they wanted money. The kidnappers, however, took the money and took away the victim along with them telling them that they would release Mehboob a little distance ahead.
While the victim’s uncle and brother were still waiting for Mehboob at the desolate place, the kidnapper again phoned Asghar and told him that they would soon find the body of Mehboob as they have not given full amount. Asghar and Akram left the place for their house in distress.
Meanwhile, the accused allegedly took Mehboob to an under-construction bungalow in Garden East where they slaughtered the trussed up victim. Sensing some suspicious activity, a resident of the vicinity called police emergency number 15.
Subsequently, Soldier Bazaar police reached the spot around 7:15am and they shifted the body to hospital where the victim remained unknown. A murder case was registered against unknown culprits.
The family came to know about the killing through a newspaper. Later, they narrated the story before the police.
The Soldier police arrested Aurangzeb on Sept 29 in Baghdadi on a tip-off. Uzma, Jahanzeb and Mohammed Arif have been declared absconders as they remained untraceable.
Special public prosecutor Naimat Ali Randhawa examined Sub-inspector Khan Nawaz, who shifted the body to hospital, and Inspector Mazhar Ali, who was also present at the time of shifting of the body, as first two prosecution witnesses. The PWs were also cross-examined by defence counsel Rahim Khan Bangash.
Judge Syed Saghir Hussain Zaidi fixed March 9 for the next hearing.
MURDER CASE: Judge Haq Nawaz Baloch of the ATC-3 put off the hearing of the murder and kidnapping for ransom case of a young man, whose body was recovered in Hyderabad.
The judge fixed Monday (March 6) for the next hearing after special public prosecutor Mazhar Qayyum examined investigation officer Inspector Tahir Naseer as the last prosecution witness. Defence counsel Khawaja Naveed, Nasir Awan and Abbas Naqvi would cross-examine the IO on the next hearing.
Abdul Asif, Mohammed Atif and Rizwan Khan, all of them in their early twenties, were charged with the kidnapping and murder of 21-year-old Muneebul Haq, a resident of Gulshan-i-Memaar.
According to prosecution, accused Atif was the victim’s friend, also living in the same vicinity. On Oct 10, 2005, he with his accomplices kidnapped Muneeb and took him to Hyderabad.
The kidnappers contacted the victim’s father, Qazi Mashhudul Haq, a bank manager, from victim’s cellular phone and they initially demanded Rs1 million for his release. The next day, kidnappers took the young victim to a graveyard in Hyderabad and slaughtered him.
Accused Asif, however, kept on calling the victim’s father and agreed to accept Rs200,000 as ransom. However, the kidnappers did not turn up to receive the money at the designated place.
The family, which had initially reported the missing of the victim on Oct 12 with the Surjani police, learnt about Muneeb’s killing in Hyderabad through newspapers on October 17.
Later on Oct 23, the shattered family reported the kidnapping matter to the police and got an FIR lodged against unknown culprits.
The investigation was assigned to the Anti-violent Crime Cell, which arrested Asif and his two accomplices on Oct 25 with the help of record of the victim’s phone. The police also seized the knife used in the killing of the victim, from the graveyard.
