Prison break: Under-trial prisoner escapes from ATC
The suspect was brought to court for a hearing in a case of explosives’ possession
The suspect was brought to court for a hearing in a case of explosives’ possession. PHOTO: REUTERS
KARACHI:
An under-trial prisoner accused of possessing explosives escaped on Monday from the premises of the Anti-Terrorism Court-IX (ATC) in Karachi.
The suspect, Tanveer alias Jambu, who was in the custody of the Special Investigation Unit (SIU) was brought to the ATC from the Karachi Central Jail for a hearing. The accused managed to remove his handcuffs before fleeing the court premises, sources told The Express Tribune.
Tanveer had been under investigation over possession of explosives after he was arrested from Ibrahim Hyderi, Karachi, in late 2014.
Following his arrest, the police claimed to have seized explosives from his possession.
According to police sources, the accused had to be presented today before Justice Farman Ali Kanatro of the ATC-IX as the prosecution prepared to submit evidence against him in the court.
Following the escape, two police personnel were arrested. Assistant sub-inspector (ASI) Riazuddin and a constable, Zahid, of the Court police who were on guard duty were arrested while FIR No. 492/15, under Sections 223, 224 and 225 of the Pakistan Penal Code, was registered against them. Police officials said that they have yet to ascertain whether the suspect managed to escape due to the negligence of the policemen or if the latter helped him escape.
This is the first such incident of an under-trial prisoner's escape from the ATC during the current year. Last year, as many as three under-trial prisoners facing charges of kidnapping for ransom cases had managed to escape from the heavily-guarded ATC.
The prisoners, Muhammad Zubair, Ammar Hafeez and Arsalan Shahnawaz, had been brought to the ATC complex from the Karachi Central Prison for the hearing of their pending cases. As the hearing concluded, the three prisoners were brought back to the lock-up inside the ATC complex for their departure to prison where they managed to unlock their handcuffs, remove the metal bars of a ventilation window in the lock-up's toilet and escape.
Published in The Express Tribune, August 25th, 2015.
An under-trial prisoner accused of possessing explosives escaped on Monday from the premises of the Anti-Terrorism Court-IX (ATC) in Karachi.
The suspect, Tanveer alias Jambu, who was in the custody of the Special Investigation Unit (SIU) was brought to the ATC from the Karachi Central Jail for a hearing. The accused managed to remove his handcuffs before fleeing the court premises, sources told The Express Tribune.
Tanveer had been under investigation over possession of explosives after he was arrested from Ibrahim Hyderi, Karachi, in late 2014.
Following his arrest, the police claimed to have seized explosives from his possession.
According to police sources, the accused had to be presented today before Justice Farman Ali Kanatro of the ATC-IX as the prosecution prepared to submit evidence against him in the court.
Following the escape, two police personnel were arrested. Assistant sub-inspector (ASI) Riazuddin and a constable, Zahid, of the Court police who were on guard duty were arrested while FIR No. 492/15, under Sections 223, 224 and 225 of the Pakistan Penal Code, was registered against them. Police officials said that they have yet to ascertain whether the suspect managed to escape due to the negligence of the policemen or if the latter helped him escape.
This is the first such incident of an under-trial prisoner's escape from the ATC during the current year. Last year, as many as three under-trial prisoners facing charges of kidnapping for ransom cases had managed to escape from the heavily-guarded ATC.
The prisoners, Muhammad Zubair, Ammar Hafeez and Arsalan Shahnawaz, had been brought to the ATC complex from the Karachi Central Prison for the hearing of their pending cases. As the hearing concluded, the three prisoners were brought back to the lock-up inside the ATC complex for their departure to prison where they managed to unlock their handcuffs, remove the metal bars of a ventilation window in the lock-up's toilet and escape.
Published in The Express Tribune, August 25th, 2015.