KARACHI: A local court on Monday granted bail to a suspect held in a case pertaining to allegedly blackmailing of a woman and inducing her to commit suicide. The additional district and sessions judge Central, Liaqat Ali Khoso, ordered Irtiza to submit a surety of Rs100,000 to secure his release and directed him to cooperate with the investigators while on bail. Six suspects, including Shahid, Asad, Farhan, Waqas, Amir and Irtiza, were booked for their alleged involvement in blackmailing and harassing a 41-year-old married woman who killed herself by hanging with her dupatta from the ceiling fan. According to the prosecution, the suspects were arrested in connection with the victim’s death. He added that the woman in her last audio messages to a friend had named the suspects saying that they had been harassing her. Irtiza through his counsel moved an application in the court last week, seeking post-arrest bail. He contended that he was innocent and was falsely implicated in the case. His attorney also submitted copies of the case documents in the court. The judge had sought arguments from the prosecution on the matter and after listening to them approved the plea moved by the suspect. Initially, the family had told the police that woman had committed suicide due to the unemployment of her husband; however, the case took a new turn after police got hold of deceased’s audio messages prior to her death. “I am being harassed by the boys in the neighborhood and my phone number was also leaked. People are calling and threatening me to meet,” she said in one of audio messages. “Some boys scammed me and made my fake marriage video as well as compromised videos and later made it viral on the internet. I cannot see my children being murdered.” The case is registered under the sections 322(Qatl-bis-sabab) and 34 (common intention) of the Pakistan Penal Code at the Shahrah-e-Noorjehan police station on the complaint of the victim’s
husband.