Accused remanded in Arzoo Masih case

Court directs police to present DNA report, evidence

A local court handed over Ali Azhar, accused of abducting and forcibly converting and marrying a teenage Christian girl, to the police for three-day physical remand on Tuesday.

The South judicial magistrate was hearing the case of Arzoo Masih - a teenage Christian girl who was allegedly abducted before being forced to convert and marry a Muslim man - at Karachi city court.

The anti-violent crime cell (AVCC) police produced accused Syed Ali Azhar, 44, before the court.

The defence lawyer maintained that presenting the accused before the trial court after arresting him was in violation of orders passed by the Sindh High Court. The lawyer claimed that Arzoo gave a statement in the high court that she wasn't kidnapped and had left with Azhar voluntarily but her family claims she was kidnapped.

The lawyer argued that Azhar could not be arrested as they claim to be husband and wife. The police cannot acquire remand either for this reason, he claimed.

The petitioner's counsel informed the court that the Supreme Court had directed the police to present the case challan in court after investigating the case according to the FIR already lodged. The DNA test is necessary in this case, he argued.

Accepting the police's request, the court granted three-day remand of Azhar and handed him over to AVCC police. The court directed the police to present the DNA report and other evidence.

According to Arzoo's verified B-form she is 13-years old.

Doctor suicide

Separately, the South judicial magistrate granted an extension to the investigation officer of the female doctor's suicide case.

The accused appeared before the court but the IO was absent. The police submitted a request before the court stating that the IO is out of the city for some official work and therefore more time is required to submit the case challan.

The court granted the police's request and adjourned the hearing till November 9.

According to police, the female doctor M* was found dead in a house in Defence Housing Authority. Her father filed a murder case against Waqas and Junaid.

Published in The Express Tribune, November 4^th, 2020.