KARACHI, July 23: An anti-terrorism court on Tuesday directed the police to initiate a procedure for proclamation and attachment of property of absconders in the Arshad Pappu murder case. Alleged Lyari gangster Arshad Pappu, his brother Yasir Arafat and their confidant Juma Shera were killed on the night of March 16.

Pakistan Peoples Party MNA from Lyari Shahjehan Baloch, Zubair Baloch, Zakir Dada and Abdul Rehman and a policeman, Yousuf Baloch, who is currently under treatment at a hospital, were charge-sheeted in the case.

The court had repeatedly issued warrants for the arrest of the absconders. However, the investigation officer informed the court on Tuesday that the whereabouts of the absconding accused were not known.

Judge Ghulam Mustafa Memon of the ATC-III asked the IO to start the proceedings against absconding accused under Sections 87 (proclamation for persons absconding) and 88 (attachment of property of person absconding) of the criminal procedure code.

Uzair Jan Baloch, the chief of the banned Peoples Amn Committee, Habib Jan, Noor Mohammad alias Baba Ladla, his brother Zahid Ladla, Asif Kana, Faisal Pathan, Yasir Pathan, the then SHOs of the Chakiwara and Kalakot police stations, Chand Khan Niazi and Javed Baloch, were absconders in the case.

The police had also arrested Sub-Inspector Mohammad Baqar for his alleged involvement in the case, but the IO released him under Section 497(2) of the CrPC for want of sufficient evidence.

According to the prosecution, the alleged gangster along with his brother, confidant and 10-year-old son went to attend the party of a friend in Defence Housing Authority on the night of March 16 and around midnight the boy came back to his house and informed his mother about the abduction of his father and others.

The victims were killed after being subjected to torture and the bodies of Pappu and his brother were thrown in manholes in the Kalakot area after being defaced and mutilated, it added.

On a directive of the Supreme Court, a case was registered under Sections 302 (premeditated murder), 365 (kidnapping), 297 (trespassing on burial place, etc), 392 (punishment for robbery), 109 (abetment) and 34 (common intention) of the Pakistan Penal Code read with Section 7 of the Anti-Terrorism Act, 1997 at the Kalakot police station.

PWs testify in case against ‘Lyari gangster’

Two eyewitnesses did not identify an alleged Lyari gangster while recording their statements in court in an attempted murder case.

Abdul Ghaffar alias Mama along with his absconding accomplices has been charged with attacking a police team during the Lyari operation in April and May last year. Head Constable Mohammad Bashir and Constable Mobin, who were part of the raiding party, appeared in court and recorded their statements.

The witnesses deposed that they were attacked by miscreants. However, they said that they had not seen the present accused at the crime scene.