Sentenced: ATC convicts four for extortion

The judge imposed a fine of Rs50,000 on each of the convicts with a penalty of six-month sentence.

KARACHI:

An anti-terrorism court on Monday sent four men to jail for seven years in an extortion case. Judge Mohammad Javed Alam of anti-terrorism court-V (ATC-V), convicted Muhammad Azeem, Farid, Attaur Rehman and Syed Raza Shah after the prosecution successfully established charges against them. They were accused of demanding protection money from the owner of a hotel within the jurisdiction of Site B police station.

The judge also imposed a fine of Rs50,000 on each of the convicts with a penalty of six-month additional sentence if it isn't paid.

The prosecution said that the accused went to a hotel and demanded Rs5,000 as protection money and started damaging the property when the owner, Muhammad Rafiq, was only able to hand over Rs1,000.

Meanwhile, the court also awarded another seven-year imprisonment to Azeem in an illicit weapons case with a fine of Rs50,000 and an additional year in prison on non-payment of the fine.

Ten-year imprisonment

Separately, an ATC on Monday sentenced two accused to 10-year imprisonment in a kidnapping for ransom case. Mustafa Siddiqui and Irfan Qadri were found guilty of abducting a trader, Shakeeluddin, in Chakiwara area in 2011.

The judge of ATC-II pronounced the verdict after recording evidence of witnesses and final arguments from both sides. He also ordered confiscation of all moveable and immoveable properties of the convicts.

In cases pertaining to encounter and attempted murder, the court awarded an additional 10-year term to both the accused. Moreover, Siddiqui was also sentenced to a seven-years term in prison for carrying an unlicenced weapon at the time of his arrest. All the sentences will run concurrently, the court ordered. According to the prosecution, the accused persons abducted the victim and demanded ransom for his release.  A case was registered under sections 365-A (kidnapping for extorting property, etc.) and 34 (common intention) of Pakistan Penal Code read with Section 7 (e) of Anti-terrorism Act 1997 on the complaint of captive business partner at Chakiwara police station.

Published in The Express Tribune, July 1^st, 2014.