RAWALPINDI - Four men accused of killing a woman over land dispute, involving the brother and other members of former deputy speaker National Assembly Haji Nawaz Khokhar’s family, have moved pre-arrest bail in the court.
The four accused Khalid Mehmood, Muhammad Rafique, Tilawat Khan, and Kamran Khan, all residents of Gangal, approached the court of Additional District and Sessions Judge M Yar Gondal through their counsels Syed Zulfiqar Abbas Naqvi Advocate and Sajid Mehmood Abbasi Advocate. However, the court will take up the matter on October 2, 2012 (Tuesday).
Meanwhile, a court of area magistrate sent the three others accused in the same murder case, arrested by police, to Adyala Jail on the judicial remand of 14 days on September 25, 2012. The three accused included Irfan alias Niko, Waheed and Anwaar.
It is pertinent to mention here that a woman namely Sabira was murdered by a large number of men during a brazen armed assault at Dhoke Gangal over the dispute of 10 kanals of land on 17/8/2012 at 11:15am. Raja Yaqoob, the husband of the deceased lady, got registered a murder case with Police Station Airport nominating Imtiaz Khokhar, commonly known as Taji Khokhar, Umer Khokhar, Farrukh Khokhar, Irfan alias Niko, Ramzan, Anwaar alias Naro Hassan Shah, Khalid Khokhar, Tilawar Hussain, Kamran Pathan, Raffique, Imran, Haider and 15 other unknown assailants as the murderers of his wife.
Police, launching a hunt, apprehended three accused Anwaar, Waheed and Irfan alias Niko and also recovered weapons a 12-bore repeater, 7mm riffle and a Kalashnikov from their possession. Later, police presented them before a court of law, which sent them on judicial remand. However, an accused Imtiaz alias Taji Khokher managed to obtain transit arrest bail for 20 days from Peshawar High Court (PHC).
Earlier, the counsels for four accused men, in the pre-arrest bail, pleaded their clients had nothing to do with the case and were falsely involved in the FIR. The court was also informed that on the application of the petitioner, the investigation of the case was also changed and entrusted to DIG Headquarters Lahore Punjab and DPO Gujrat. On this the court awarded the pre arrest bails to the four accused against surety bonds of worth 100,000 each. The court also ordered the accused to join the police in their investigation and adjourned the case till October 2, 2012 with directing to police to produce all the record of the case on the date of hearing.
On interaction, Sub Inspector (SI) Malik Nazir, who interrogated the murder case, told this scribe on Thursday that so far three murder accused have been netted besides seizing weapons used in the brutal murder of a woman. He added that later police produced the killers in a court, which were sent to Adyala Jail.
When asked as to why police are not placing hand on Imtiaz alias Taji Khokhar, the main accused in the murder case, SI said that Taji Khokhar was on transit bail for 20 days which he got from PHC. Police are also conducting raids at various localities to nab the other accused. CPO Azhar Hameed Khokher was not available for his comments on the issue.