MQM activist accused of killing ST man remanded

Karachi

A Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM) activist, Rao Shafqat, was remanded to officials of the Brigade police station on Monday for interrogation in the murder case of Sunni Tehreek (ST) worker Babar alias Tension.

Earlier, amid heavy security of the police and the Rangers, the accused was brought to the court of the judicial magistrate (East) with his face covered.

The investigation officer submitted before the court that Rao Shafqat had been the MQM’s sector in-charge in the Lines Area and arrested three months ago by the Rangers, who had learnt through interrogation that he was involved in target killings.

The court was told that the accused had admitted to killing Babar alias Tension in the Brigade police jurisdiction in 2012 on the directive of his party’s high command.

The investigation officer added the accused had also confessed to killing an unspecified number of other people as well.

After the hearing, the court granted four-day physical remand of the accused.

Kidnapper’s remand

The judicial magistrate (West) granted physical remand of an accused of kidnapping, Ajmal, to the police till February 11.

The investigation officer told the court that Ajmal – the ringleader of a group -- was involved in kidnapping and selling children.

He is also accused of kidnapping three children of a woman, Shaheena, from the Surjani police limits.

After kidnapping the three children -- seven-year-old Rubeena, four-year-old Rashid and three-year-old Rozina -- he had moved them to Punjab.

His group was also involved in kidnapping and selling the children to another group that used to force the children into begging, the officer added.

The investigation officer said a Surjani police team had arrested the accused in Punjab after the provincial home department had issued an order in this regard.

The court granted physical remand of Ajmal till February 11 and directed the investigation officer to submit a report.

SBP officer 

The Federal Anti-Corruption Court declared a former officer of the State Bank of Pakistan (SBP), Syed Sarfraz Hussain Shah, a proclaimed offender as the investigation officer representing the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) told the court that the absconding accused had settled in France.

According to the case facts, the former SBP officer had been sent by his bosses to France for training, but he settled there and never returned to Pakistan.

Shah is also accused of embezzling Rs1.2 million from the bank.

The investigation officer asked the court to declare the accused a proclaimed offender under sections 87 and 88 of the CrPC so that a campaign could be kicked off against him by publishing his name and picture as absconder.

Jail official put on notice 

A court issued a show-cause notice to the superintendent of the central prison to appear and explain his failure to release a citizen who had been granted bail.

Earlier, an application was moved by a citizen, Ayub, in a sessions court while complaining that though his son, Fahad, had been granted bail on January 23, the prison authorities had not release him so far.

According to Ayub, his son was arrested in cases pertaining to charges of an attempted murder and a police encounter.

His son was remanded to the central prison on January 22. The next day, he said, Fahad was granted bail, but the prison authorities refused to entertain his release orders. Instead, they kept him in detention without any legal justification, said the complainant.