SHC dismisses ransom kidnappers’ appeal against life sentence

The Sindh High Court (SHC) has dismissed the appeal of two men who were convicted to life in prison for a kidnapping for ransom case, thereby upholding their

sentences.

Amir Farooq and Mohammad Toor Khan were sentenced to life imprisonment by an anti-terrorism court after finding them guilty of kidnapping a minor boy for ransom from the Bahadurabad neighbourhood of Karachi.

According to the prosecution, the appellants had kidnapped eight-year-old Osama on March 6, 2009 and demanded Rs20 million as ransom. The prosecution claimed the appellants received Rs1 million and gold ornaments as ransom from the boy’s father.

The appellants’ counsel said the appellants were falsely implicated in the case as no direct evidence had been produced against them, so they should be released by giving them the benefit of the doubt, since co-accused Umair had also been acquitted by the trial court.

The deputy prosecutor general said the prosecution had proved its case against the appellants as the kidnap victim had identified Khan as his kidnapper and for keeping him in captivity at his house, while Farooq was the one who had received the ransom from the boy’s family.

After hearing the arguments of the counsel and the perusal of the evidence in the case, the SHC’s division bench headed by Justice Mohammad Karim Khan Agha said the prosecution had proved its case against the appellants, who had kidnapped the boy, kept him in captivity and

received Rs1 million and gold ornaments to release him.

The judge said the kidnap victim had identified one appellant during the identification parade, while other corroborative evidence supported the prosecution’s case against the other appellant, and dismissed their appeal, upholding their life sentences.