A model court has sentenced a rickshaw driver to life imprisonment for the abduction and murder of a woman in 2020, while acquitted a co-accused for lack of evidence.
Muhammad Fayyaz was found guilty of abducting the woman from a bungalow in DHA where she worked as a housemaid, and later stabbing her to death in the Ibrahim Hyderi area.
In his judgment, Additional Sessions Judge Irshad Hussain of the Model Criminal Trial Court (South) ruled that the prosecution had proved its case against Fayyaz “beyond any reasonable shadow of doubt”.
“It appears that there is no ocular account available in respect of alleged abduction and murder of deceased Ansar Bibi and the whole case is based on strong circumstantial evidence,” he said, adding “admittedly there are mitigating circumstances and considering the facts and circumstances of the case, the normal penalty of death is not awarded rather the circumstances warrant the award of lesser punishment.”
The judge sentenced the convict to life imprisonment and ordered him to pay a fine of Rs200,000 as compensation to the legal heirs of the victim, with an additional one-year simple imprisonment in case of default.
However, the judge acquitted co-accused Naseem Bibi, sister-in-law of the victim, observing that no role had been assigned to her by the witnesses and no direct or indirect evidence was available on record to connect her with the alleged crime.
According to the prosecution, on October 28, 2020, Fayyaz — a rickshaw driver — picked up the victim from a bungalow in Karachi’s Phase VII where she worked as a housemaid. CCTV footage later showed the woman leaving with him, after which she did not return home. The victim, who had been married for 10 years and had three children, had been missing since then.
The victim’s brother told police that when he and his family questioned Fayyaz and Naseem Bibi — the wife of his brother who also worked as a maid with her, they gave evasive replies about her whereabouts. On November 4, he lodged an FIR against Fayyaz, accusing him of abducting his sister with the intent to commit rape. Fayyaz was arrested and allegedly confessed to the crime. He claimed that he killed the woman on the instigation of her sister-in-law Naseem Bibi, and said he stabbed her after sexually assaulting her at a location near Ibrahim Hyderi.
On November 17, police recovered parts of the victim’s remains and personal belongings on the pointing out of the accused. In his statement, Fayyaz denied the charges, claiming that he had been falsely implicated in the case by the complainant due to property dispute with co-accused Naseem Bibi.
