Off the hook: Four men acquitted in policeman’s murder case

Third Additional District and Sessions Judge acquitted the men as the evidence that they were perpetrators was weak.

KARACHI:

Four men accused of killing a policeman were acquitted on Thursday by a district and sessions court because of a lack of evidence.

In March 2011, four men on two motorcycles shot at two policemen, Muhammad Akram and Muhammad Aslam, near a graveyard in Zaffar Town. The policemen retaliated, but Akram was fatally wounded. Aslam had an FIR registered the next day at the Shah Latif Town police station under sections 302, 324, 353 and 34 of the Pakistan Penal Code.

Law enforcers later arrested Muhammad Kashif, Faiz Muhammad Korai, Muhammad Sadiq Jatoi and Muhammad Karim for the crime. But the Third Additional District and Sessions Judge (Malir), Farzana Iqbal, acquitted the men as the evidence that they were the perpetrators was weak. “The prosecution has not produced any concrete evidence for the involvement of the suspects,” said the judge.  The prosecution questioned six witnesses - all police officials - but failed to come up with a cogent and sufficient case to link the arrested men to the crime. The judge acquitted the men and remanded them back to police custody, ordering law enforcers to release them if there were no other charges against them.

Published in The Express Tribune, October 27^th, 2012.