Shahzeb murder case: Police submits final charge-sheet

Prosecutor told to scrutinise before placing on record.

KARACHI: The police submitted the final charge-sheet in the Shahzeb Khan’s murder case with the Anti-Terrorism Court-III on Tuesday.

Judge Ghulam Mustafa Memon, however, directed the special public prosecutor to place the charge-sheet on the court’s record after its legal scrutiny. Shahrukh Jatoi, his friend Nawab Siraj Talpur, 22, Nawab Sajjad Talpur, 21, and their 23-year-old servant Ghulam Murtaza Lashari are facing charges of murdering 20-year-old Shahzeb Khan.

Jatoi and Siraj had allegedly gunned down Shahzeb over a petty dispute on December 24, 2012 in the Defense area in Karachi.

Scores had taken to the streets over the non-arrest of the accused, as the main suspect, Shahrukh Jatoi, had escaped to Dubai two days after committing the alleged offence.

Taking suo motu notice of the incident, the Chief Justice Iftikhar Muhammad Chaudhry had ordered the provincial police chief to track down all the accused and produce them in court for trial.

On January 17, police finally arrested Shahrukh Jatoi upon his deportation from Dubai. But, the anti-terrorism court had sent him to the juvenile jail after defense sought his separate trial for being a minor. The court, however, on February 11, sent him to the central jail following a report of the special medical board’s report, which declared him an adult. Investigators claimed a pistol and vehicle used in crime were also recovered by them, but four other co-accused - Asif Lund, Salman Jatoi, Nawab Jatoi and Khurrum Muhammad - were still at large. On Tuesday, investigation officer inspector Muhammad Mobin submitted final charge-sheet in the court.

Judge Ghulam Mustafa Memon handed over the same to the special public prosecutor Abdul Maroof for its scrutiny.

The judge adjourned the hearing till February 28.

Published in The Express Tribune, February 20^th, 2013.