Street criminal gets 11 years in jail for encounter, unlicensed pistol

An anti-terrorism court (ATC) on Wednesday awarded a collective sentence of 11-year imprisonment to a street criminal in cases pertaining to engaging in an encounter with police and possessing an unlicensed weapon.

Shakeel was found guilty of firing shots at police with intention to kill with an unlicensed pistol within the Zaman Town police limits in February last year. The ATC-XX judge, who conducted the trial in the judicial complex inside the central prison, announced his order after recording evidence and final arguments from both defence and prosecution sides. He observed that the prosecution successfully proved its charges against the accused beyond any reasonable shadow of doubt, awarding him a collective sentence of 11 years in jail.

The convict was told to pay a collective fine of Rs40,000 or undergo additional nine-month imprisonment on default. The judge, however, extended the benefit of Section 382-B (the time he has spent in detention since his arrest to be deducted from his prison term) of the Criminal Procedure Code (CrPC).

He remanded the convict back to the prison to serve out the sentences that shall run concurrently. State prosecutor Muhammad Iqbal Meo stated that on February 10, 2022, a police party was on a routine patrol when they signalled two suspicious-looking men on a motorcycle to stop near Korangi Crossing. Instead of complying with the order, they opened fire at the police with the intention to commit their murder and when the personnel retaliated, the pillion rider sustained bullet wound to his left leg and fell to the ground, he added.

The injured suspect, identified as Shakeel, was taken into custody while his accomplice managed to flee the scene, the prosecutor mentioned. An unlicensed pistol was seized from the detained suspect’s possession.

Two cases were lodged under sections 353 (assault or criminal force to deter public servant from discharge of his duty), 324 (attempted murder), 186 (obstructing public servant in discharge of public functions) and 34 (common intention) of the Pakistan Penal Code (PPC) and Section 23(i)A of Sindh Arms Act read with Section 7 (punishment for acts of terrorism) of the Anti-Terrorism Act, 1997 at the Zaman Town police station.