SC sets man free after 15 years

ISLAMABAD: The Supreme Court Tuesday acquitted a man after 15 years in a case of kidnapping for ransom.

A three-member bench of the apex court, headed by Justice Sardar Tariq Masood, acquitted Muhammad Shahid after quashing his life imprisonment and ordered his release.

Shahid was arrested in February 2008 from Bahawalpur in a case of kidnapping for ransom when he was 15 years old.

The court observed that anti-terrorism provisions were also imposed on the accused on the charge of abducting a teenager for ransom adding that it could not be proved the incident was related to terrorism.

Rizwan Ejaz, counsel for the accused, submitted before the court that the main accused in the kidnapping case had fled while his client was trapped.

The counsel questioned as to how a 15-year-old boy could kidnap another teenager for ransom.

Justice Hasan Azhar Rizvi observed that neighbors, relatives and close people were involved in incidents like kidnapping for ransom.