SHC dismisses appeal of murder convicts against death penalty

KARACHI: The Sindh High Court (SHC) on Tuesday dismissed appeal of two convicts against death sentence in a double murder case, ARY News reported.

The appellate bench of the high court rejected appeals of murder convicts Sheeraz and Tasawwar against death sentence awarded by a trial court in double murder.

The trial court had handed ‘twice hanging’ to the culprits of kidnapping and murder.

They had kidnapped a man Basit Shaikh for ransom in June 2010 and demanded Rs. 2.5 million ransom money. A brother of the abduction victim registered case in Ferozabad police station in Karachi.

Basit Shaikh was invited to a farm house in the pretext of arranging a party. Basit and his friend Rasheed were hanged to death in the farm house and their bodies were thrown in a well in a deserted area.

The prosecution told the court that murder convict Sheeraz has been a hardened criminal and also produced the record of other cases against him.

Two member appellate bench dismissed appeals against the conviction and withheld the trial court decision.

The SHC appellate bench in November had overturned death sentence in murder case of four members of a family.

While hearing the appeal against the death sentence, the SHC annulled the verdict of the special court.

The murder suspects were accused of murdering family members of Muneeza in Customs Colony in the jurisdiction of Mauripur police station.

The high court said that the statement of witness Muneeza could not be fully relied upon in the multiple murder case.

The defence lawyer said that the murder incident was a result of gang war dispute and the police trapped innocent citizens in the case. In the multiple murder case, two young accused named Adil and Basit had been acquitted by the court.