ATC records IO’s statement in Baldia factory fire case

IO states he submitted challan with Section 322 before the court

KARACHI: An anti-terrorism court (ATC) recorded the statement on Tuesday of Investigation Officer (IO) Inspector Jahanzeb while hearing the Baldia factory fire case at ATC No7 at Karachi Central Jail.

Jail officials produced the accused, Zubair alias Charya and Rehman Bhola, before the court. Special Prosecutor Sajid Mehboob Shaikh, witness and IO Inspector Jahanzeb and other accused, including Rauf Siddiqui, appeared before the court.

Jahanzeb said in his statement that a total of 264 people died in the fire. "The bodies of 259 of the victims were found, the remains of two other bodies were found, while three other deceased were identified through a mobile phone, a shoe and the remains of a foot," he told the court.

The IO welled up as he spoke of the charred bodies of the deceased. "We tried to find out about Rehman Bhola and Rizwan Qureshi but could not find information on them. Bhola, Hammad Siddiqui and Rizwan Qureshi were placed on the exit control list (ECL) while their records were obtained," said Jahanzeb. "We discovered that Bhola had already fled to Dubai while Qureshi and Siddiqui could not be traced."

The IO further told the court that Qureshi implicated Bhola and Siddiqui before the joint-investigation team (JIT). "Through the Crime Record Office (CRO) we discovered that Qureshi and Bhola were implicated in 11 other cases each," he said, while adding that the names of the factory owners were removed from the ECL and the cars seized from the factory were returned to them on judicial orders.

Jahanzeb told the court that after his investigation, he submitted the challan with Section 322 of the Pakistan Penal Code pertaining to deaths caused in an accident instead of Section 302 which pertains to intentional murder.

The IO submitted relevant documents before the court. The counsels of the accused will cross-examine the witness statement at the next hearing which will be held on October 9.

Published in The Express Tribune, October 2^nd, 2019.