A special anti-terrorism court (ATC) handed over three accused for physical remand on Tuesday in the case pertaining to the kidnap, rape and murder of a five-year-old girl in PIB Colony. The case was heard at Karachi Central Jail.
The investigation officer (IO) produced accused Rab Nawaz, Faiz and Abdullah before the court.
Nawaz is innocent as no evidence has been found against him, the IO told the court. He said that a report regarding Nawaz's release will be presented before the judicial magistrate.
However, the government lawyer objected to this, and the court handed over the three accused to the police for physical remand till September 26.
Five-year-old M* was kidnapped after she left her house on September 4, 2020 to go to a nearby store. Her body was found the next night in a garbage dump in Essa Nagri, wrapped in a sheet. Medical reports indicated she was raped and then bludgeoned to death with a heavy stone.
The police submitted the confessional statements of the accused before the court. According to the police, Faiz alias Faizu who lived six houses away from M's house confessed to kidnapping the minor girl with his friend Abdullah. Faiz told the police that he and Abdullah brought the five-year-old to his house and they both raped her, causing her death. According to Faiz's statement, the two men then wrapped M's body in a cloth and threw it in a garbage dump.
The report stated that it was through the cloth that the child's body was found in that the police were able to arrest the accused. The police searched for the owners of the cloth, and found a tailor, Muhammad Javed, who said that he had given the fabric to his worker Faiz alias Faizu. Further investigation found Faiz to be a habitual criminal and the police proceeded to arrest him. His accomplice Abdullah was arrested on his indication, stated the report.
Fourteen acquitted
Meanwhile, ATC no8 acquitted Muttahida Qaumi Movement-Pakistan's (MQM-P) Dr Farooq Sattar and 13 others accused in a case pertaining to attack on police as they attempted to vacate the Pakistan Quarters.
Accused Dr Sattar, Shamim Ahmed, Qazi Faisal Siddiqi, Rahimuddin, Asif Raza, Muhammad Asif, Muhammad Idrees, Usama, Santosh, Ovi Kant, Altaf Hussain, Muhammad Ayaz and Nadeem Ahmed were acquitted in the case.
IO replaced
Separately, an ATC accepted the plea seeking replacement of IO in Intezar murder case. Ishtiaq Ahmed, Intezar's father, had claimed in the plea that the current IO was using delay tactics for the benefit of the accused. As the trial is delayed, the accused have repeatedly filed bail pleas, maintained the petitioner, praying the court to change the IO.
The court directed the relevant deputy inspector-general to appoint another IO for the case and bring the case to conclusion as soon as possible.
Kidnapping cases
Another ATC adjourned the hearing of the cases pertaining to the abduction of Dua Mangi and Bisma Saleem after the police submitted their report.
Jail officials produced accused Muzaffar alias Mozi, Fayaz Solangi, Tariq, Zohaib Qureshi and Waseem Raja alias Kamran before the court.
According to the investigation police's report, one of the accused in the case is on the run and the IO has gone to Lahore for the arrest.
The court accepted the report and adjourned the hearing till September 24.
Published in The Express Tribune, September 16th, 2020.
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