A sessions court on Tuesday acquitted two accused in a case pertaining to the murder of four TikTokers.
Key accused Abdul Rehman alias Shooter and Sawera had been charged with allegedly killing their four friends -- Muskan Sheikh, Amir Khan, Rehan Shah and Saddam Hussain -- in the Garden area in February 2021 over personal differences linked to TikTok videos. Sawera had been accused of aiding and abetting the crime and causing disappearance of evidence to screen herself.
After recording evidence and arguments from defence lawyer Abid Zaman and state prosecutor Shakeel Ahmed Abbasi, Additional Sessions Judge (South) Abdul Hafeez Lashari observed that the prosecution failed to prove its case against the accused beyond reasonable doubt. He exonerated them from all charges and ordered the jail authorities to release accused Abdul Rehman, who was in judicial custody. However, Sawera was already out on bail.
Legal heirs of three victims -- Amir, Rehan and Saddam -- had reached an out-of-court settlement with the accused and pardoned them in the name of Allah, according to the defence counsel. However, the court proceeded with the trial as no compromise could be reached with the family of Muskan, he added. In his written order, the judge noted that it was evident that the chain of circumstantial evidence is “incomplete and broken at multiple stages.” “The prosecution has failed to establish a continuous chain leading to the guilt of the accused.”
About charges against the woman accused, the judge observed: “There is no recovery of the mobile phone or SIM of accused Abdul Rehman, which breaks an essential link in the chain of evidence.”
“The explanation furnished by the Investigation Officer regarding the non-recovery of the mobile phone is unsatisfactory as no serious effort appears to have been made to trace the alleged purchaser of the device. Moreover, there is no forensic analysis of any call recording, message, or data extracted from the mobile phone of Mst Sawera to show that she actually shared the location or instigated the accused.”
“The mere assertion that the conversation was deleted is not supported by any forensic report confirming deletion.” The judge said that it was a settled principle that abetment must be proved through clear, cogent, and convincing evidence showing active instigation or intention. “In the present case, the prosecution has failed to establish any such act on the part of Mst Sawera.” According to the prosecution, on February 2, 2021, accused Abdul Rehman alias Shooter had killed the four friends.
