Naimat Khan
KARACHI: An Anti terrorism Court in Karachi remanded on Monday former Senior Superintendent of Police Rao Anwar into 30-day physical police remand in Naqeeb Ullah Mehusd murder case.
Rao Anwar along with his around 24 of his subordinates has been booked for allegedly abducting Naseemullah – commonly known as Naqeebullah Mehsud for ransom and killing him along with three others over non-payment of ransom in a staged encounter on Jan 13 in a Shah Latif Town locality.
The notorious police official and his team had also farmed Naqeeb and three other deceased Mohammad Sabir, Nazar Jan and Mohammad Ishaq in explosives and illicit weapons cases after killing them and dubbed them as militants.
The former SSP was taken into custody from Supreme Court when he finally turned upon before court on after remaining into hiding for around two months.
The investigating officer SSP Abid Qaimkhani produced the suspect before ATC-II amid strict security arrangements after the trial court dismissed an application of IO to give sometime for his production before high court and directed for production of the suspect.
Subsequently, police the police brought Rao Anwar before the ATC in an armored personnel carrier (APC) and IO sought the custody of former SSP for 30 days to interrogate him on the ground that his production before the court would be a security risk.
The court handed the suspect over police on physical remand till April 21 and directed the IO to produce him again along with a progress report at the next hearing. The reporters were not allowed to witness the court proceedings. Earlier, the trial court had also issued warrant for the arrest of Rao Anwar.
DSP Qamar Shaikh, sub-inspector Mohammad Yasin, assistant-sub-inspectors Supurd Hussain and Allahyar, head constables Khizar Hayat and Mohammad Iqbal and constables Arshad Ali, Shafiq Ahmed, Abdul Ali and Ghulam Nazak were already in jail custody in the case while the then Shah Latif Town SHO Amanullah Marwat, former SHO of the SITE Superhighway police station Annar Khan, then SHO Soharb Goth Shoaib Shaikh, alias Shoaib Shooter and 11 other police officials are still at large.
The Supreme Court had also taken notice of the killing after the incident sparked outrage on social media and protests by political, religious and rights organisations while the provincial police officer had also constituted a three-member inquiry committee that found Rao Anwar and his associates involved in the case and said that prima facie the encounter in question was fake.
Subsequently, a case against Rao Anwar and his associates was registered under sections 302 (punishment for premeditated murder), 365 (kidnapping with intent secretly and wrongfully to confine person), 344 (wrongful confinement for ten or more days), 109 (abetment) and 34 (common intention) of the Pakistan Penal Code read with Section 7 of the Anti-terrorism Act, 1997 on a complaint of the deceased’s father, Mohammad Khan, at the Sachal police station. Later, Sections 342 (punishment for wrongful confinement), 201 (causing disappearance of evidence of offence or giving false information to screen offender), 202 (intentional omission to give information of offence by person bound to inform) 114 (abettor present when offence is committed) and 365-A (kidnapping to extort property, etc.) of PPC were also incorporated in the case.
Thereafter, police had also another case against Rao Anwar and others for foisting illicit weapons and explosives upon Naqeeb and three other deceased, and destroying and tampering with evidence in order to save themselves from legal consequences.
The FIR was lodged under Sections 26 of Sindh Arms Act, 2013 and Sections 3/4 of Explosive Substances Act, 1908 and Section 7 ATA at Shah Latif Town police station.
