Former South SSP, DSP, others acquitted in Orangi house robbery case

A sessions court on Wednesday acquitted for lack of evidence former South SSP Imran Qureshi, DSP Umair Tariq Bajari and others in a case pertaining to a robbery that was committed in the guise of a police raid at the house of a trader in Orangi Town.

A judicial magistrate had taken cognisance against SSP Qureshi, DSP Bajari, constables Usman, Faizan, Khurram, Adil, Irshadullah and Riaz, and other private persons allegedly involved in the robbery and forwarded the case to a sessions court for trial, rejecting the investigation officer's recommendation to quash the FIR against them.

As the case came up for hearing before Additional District and Sessions Judge Aurangzeb Shah, the accused moved applications under the Section 265-K of the Code of Criminal Procedure (CrPC) seeking their acquittal in the case for “want of evidence”.

He allowed their acquittal pleas after hearing arguments from the defence and prosecution sides. Advocate Aamir Mansoob Qureshi and other lawyers, who represented the accused, contended that there was no evidence on record to substantiate the charges against the accused, who were not present during the raid. They stated that the complainant wanted to withdraw the case against them, requesting the judge to accept their acquittal plea.

The complainant, trader Shakir Khan, and other witnesses submitted their affidavits to the court stating that the accused were not the ones who were involved in the incident. They said they would have no objection if the court exonerated the present accused of the charges.

State prosecutor Muhammad Arif Sitae, however, opposed the acquittal application of the accused.Earlier, Judicial Magistrate (West) Muhammad Bilal had rejected the investigation officer’s recommendation to quash the case under ‘C class’ and took cognisance of the alleged offence.

DSP Bajari and over a dozen other policemen and private persons were booked in September last year on the charges of robbery, abduction, house trespass and wrongful confinement after they allegedly robber Khan’s home in Orangi Town and briefly kidnapped him and his brother Amir Khan before releasing them near the Baloch Colony flyover.