KARACHI: Four remanded in kidnapping for ransom case
KARACHI, April 6: Adminis-trative Judge of the Anti-terrorism Courts, Karachi, Khawaja Naveed Ahmed on Saturday remanded four persons nominated as accused in a kidnapping for ransom case into police custody till April 18.
According to the prosecution, the accused — Shahzad, Danish, Shoaib and Arif — had allegedly kidnapped a five-year-old boy, Javed, on March 27 in Baldia Town while the victim was on way to his school.
Later, the accused demanded a ransom of Rs0.1 million from the victim’s father, Ghulam Hussain. However, Mr Hussain approached the police who started investigation. In the meantime, Shahzad, who appeared to be a cousin of Javed and held him hostage, pushed the boy down the Clifton Bridge to avoid being identified by the boy. The prosecution said that the body regained consciousness after three days and revealed his ordeal to his parents. He also identified Shahzad as one of his kidnappers.
The CPLC and AVCC teams arrested the four accused in raids conducted on April 3 night. The case was registered at the Baldia Town police station.
Illegal lease case
Special judge of an anti-corruption court in Karachi, Syed Gul Munir Shah, on Saturday remanded an employee of Gadap Town in police custody for three days in a land scam case.
Sirajuddin Memon, Tapedar of Gadap Town, was arrested on April 4. A case against him was lodged under Sections 409, 420, 467, 468, 471 and 477/34 read with Section 5(2) of the Prevention of Corruption Act 1974 by the anti-corruption establishment after conducting an inquiry on a compliant
(No 37/06).
According to the prosecution, the former secretary of board of revenue and land utilisation department, Ghulam Abbas Soomro, had gained 24 acres in Gadap. Later, he granted the land to his relatives, Mansoor Ahmed and Majeed Qureshi, on a 99-year lease with a relaxation that no ground rent was to be recovered from them. The prosecution says that Mr Soomro fraudulently converted the land from dairy farming category to commercial and industrial purposes on a 99-year lease in the names of his relatives and friends without having the legitimate grant of 30 years.
The FIR says the lease was granted on the basis of bogus papers with the connivance of revenue officers, private persons and others. They were found fully involved in corrupt practices in respect of the lease of the land, causing heavy financial losses to the national exchequer. It further says that the lease papers seemed to have been manipulated by Ghulam Abbas Soomro by inserting the names in the dispatch register, whereas the land record was silent regarding the lease.
The former secretary of board of revenue and land utilisation department, Ghulam Abbas Soomro, Gadap Town ex-mukhtiarkars Iqbal Ahmed Meerani and Haibat Khan, deputy district officer revenue Ayub Khan Marri, Gadap Town tapedar Ali Akthar, Sarwan, supervising tapedar Allah Obhayo, assistant secretary board of revenue Mir Laiq Ali, Mansoor Ahmed of taxation department and Majeed Quershi were the absconders in the case.
Hearing adjourned
The same court, meanwhile, adjourned the hearing of a corruption reference against the officials of market committee of the new Sabzi Mandi till April 19 on the request of defence counsel.
Market committee’s administrator G.M. Chakrani, secretary Saeedul Hasan Zaidi, agriculture department’s extension wing director-general Naeem Ahmed Korejo, and a section officer in agriculture department, Ashiq Hussein are facing charges in the land scam that involved millions of rupees.
EOBI pension case
A division bench of the Sindh High Court comprising Justices Munib Ahmed Khan and Yasmeen Abbasey issued notice to the Employees Old-Age Benefits Institution (EOBI) and other respondents in a pension case, adds APP.
The petitioner, Gul Muhammad Khan, a former employee of the Pakistan Steel Mills and a recipient of disability pension from the EOBI, moved court through his counsel, Gohar Iqbal, challenging termination of payment of the pension to him.
When the case came up for hearing on Saturday, the counsel informed the bench that the petitioner had an order in his favour from the federal ombudsman and also a medical examination conducted by the EOBI’s medical officer which showed the petitioner was still facing with 68 per cent disability. His liver was removed due to a road accident and he was being paid disability pension at a rate of Rs1,444 per month from August 1999 till February 2003 when the payment was stopped suddenly.
The petitioner was later told that payment was stopped because he had recovered and was (further) recovering.
The bench, after hearing the counsel, issued notices for a date to be fixed by the office.