ATC sentences two muggers to 11 years for police encounter, illegal weapons possession

An anti-terrorism court (ATC-XX) on Wednesday handed down a combined sentence of 11 years to Muhammad Saeed and Mohammad Farhan.

The charges against them revolved around an encounter with police and possession of unlicensed firearms in the PIB Colony in January 2022. Following a thorough examination of evidence and concluding arguments from both prosecution and defense, the ATC-XX judge, in a reserved order, declared the prosecution successfully proved the accusations "beyond any shadow of a doubt." Consequently, the judge sentenced the accused to 11 years in prison.

As part of the verdict, the convicts were also fined Rs40,000, with the alternative of facing an additional nine months in imprisonment if the fine was not paid. Notably, the judge stipulated that all sentences would run concurrently.

Furthermore, invoking Section 382-B of the criminal procedure code (CrPC), the judge granted the benefit of time served to the convicts. This means the duration spent in custody since their arrest would be deducted from their overall prison term.

State prosecutor Iqbal Meo detailed the incident, stating that on January 31, 2022, a police patrol received information about two robbers near Madina Masjid, Old Sabzi Mandi. When the police confronted the suspects on a motorcycle, instead of stopping, the pillion rider fired at the officers with the intent to murder them.

In the ensuing exchange of gunfire, one suspect sustained a firearm injury, leading to the immediate arrest of both individuals. The authorities recovered two unlicensed pistols from the possession of the accused. The Special Investigation Unit (SIU) and Criminal Investigation Agency (CIA) lodged three distinct cases under sections 353, 324, 186, and 34 of the Pakistan Penal Code (PPC) and Section 23(I)A of the Sindh Arms Act, coupled with Section 7 of the ATC, which pertains to punishment for acts of terrorism.