KARACHI: Police submitted on Friday interim charge sheets against former Malir SSP Rao Anwar and others before the administrative judge of antiterrorism courts in a case of foisting weapons and explosives upon Naqeebullah Mehsud and three other victims.

Rao Anwar and then DSP Qamar Ahmed Shaikh along with their 10 absconding subordinates have been booked in the second case for foisting pistols and hand grenades upon Naqeeb and three others after killing them in a staged shoot-out on Jan 13 in Shah Latif Town.

Investigating Officer SSP Dr Rizwan Ahmed filed separate interim charge sheets for the offence of illicit weapons and explosive substances respectively before the administrative judge of ATCs, Karachi and sought time for final investigation reports in order to get sanction, a requirement under the law, from the home department.

The IO charge-sheeted detained Rao Anwar and Qamar Shaikh and showed three former SHOs Amanullah Marwat, Shoaib Shaikh, alias Shooter, Annar Khan and seven other policemen as absconders in the interim reports.

According to the interim charge sheets, the then SHO of Shah Latif Town Marwat had registered a case against Naqeeb, Mohammad Sabir, Nazar Jan and Mohammad Ishaq for attempted murder, carrying unlicensed weapons and grenades after killing them in a fake shoot-out.

However, reproducing the findings of a three-member inquiry committee in the investigation report, the IO said that the Jan 13 encounter was prima facie a coordinated fake/staged shoot-out and according to the alleged encounter’s FIR six police officials were present at the place of the incident while the call data record analysis indicated that former Malir SSP Rao Anwar and members of his team were also present at the place of the alleged shoot-out. Therefore, the second case was registered against Rao Anwar and others under Sections 26 (punishment for vexatious recovery and arrest) of Sindh Arms Act, 3/4 of the Explosive Substances Act, 1908 read with Section 7 of the Anti-Terrorism Act, 1997 on the complaint of the then IO SSP Abid Qaimkhani at the Shah Latif Town police station, it added.

The interim investigation report said that the IO and the joint investigation team, constituted on the directive of the apex court, had interrogated Rao Anwar and provided him an opportunity, but he failed to produce any solid evidence in his defence.

After admitting the charge sheets, the administrative judge sent the cases to the ATC-II for trial and directed the IO to file final reports within two weeks. The court also ordered the jail authorities to produce both the detained suspects in court on May 14.

Murder of Chinese national

The same court on Friday remanded three suspects in the custody of Counter-Terrorism Department in a case pertaining to the murder of a Chinese national.

After the end of their first physical remand, a CTD investigating officer produced Saqib Ahmed and Rehan Hashim along with newly-arrested suspect Mohammad Aamir in court for their alleged involvement in the murder of Chen Zhu, managing director of a shipping firm, who was gunned down on Feb 5 near Zamzama Park in Defence Housing Authority. The judge gave remand till May 18.

Published in Dawn, May 12th, 2018