Bhains colony case: Extortionists get 8 years in jail

KARACHI:

The Anti-Terrorism Court 1 convicted two men of extortion and possession of weapons on Wednesday.

Mohammad Asif and Yad Ali were charged under sections 386 and 34 of the Pakistan Penal Code read with section 7 of the Anti-Terrorism Act and section 13-D of the Arms Ordinance.

They had extorted Rs400,000 from a resident of Bhains Colony. On December 26, 2011, they asked him for another Rs100,000 and told him to bring the money to Steel Town. The complainant had informed the Steel Town police of the threat in advance.

When he handed over the money to the extortionists, the police arrested them at the scene. The men have been sentenced to eight years in jail - five years each on the extortion charge, and three years each on charges of possessing weapons. They were fined Rs20,000 each on the extortion charge and will have to serve six months in jail if they are unable to pay.

Published in The Express Tribune, May 31^st, 2012.