Witness deposes against Uzair Baloch in kidnapping and murder case

A prosecution witness on Thursday testified in an anti-terrorism court (ATC) against the alleged Lyari gang war leader, Uzair Baloch, implicating him in the kidnapping and murder of a businessman’s son.

The witness, whose identity has been kept secret, identified Uzair as the culprit and said that Muhammad Azeem, the father of slain Abdul Samad, had deposed against the accused in his statement to the police.

According to the prosecution, Samad was kidnapped by Uzair through his gang in 2012 and the kidnappers demanded Rs1 million in ransom from Azeem, a soap trader, for the release of his son.

Azeem paid Rs70,000 for the release of his son but the perpetrators, in spite of receiving the money, killed Samad and later dumped his body, the prosecution added. Uzair, on the other hand, claimed innocence and said that neither did he kidnap nor did order the same. He added that he was falsely implicated in the case.

The ATC judge, after recording the testimony of the witness and the cross-examination by the defence lawyer, adjourned the hearing till February 24 and ordered the investigation officer to bring more witnesses on the next date.

Uzair, who was the chief of the defunct Peoples Amn Committee, has been facing around five dozen cases pertaining to felonies like murder, extortion, kidnapping and rioting in ATCs and sessions courts.

He has already been convicted by a military court for espionage for Iranian intelligence agencies and sentenced to 12 years in prison. The Rangers had announced his arrest in a raid on the outskirts of Karachi in January 2016. Some unverified reports said that he was arrested earlier from Dubai with the help of Interpol.