KARACHI – A seventeen-year-old kidnapping case ended with life sentences for two men including a former Major of the Pakistan army.
The legal battle continued for more than 1.5 decades and an anti-terrorism court now handed down life imprisonment to Retired Major Nawazish Akbar and another person Naveed Khan for the kidnapping of Sher Bahadur, a construction company owner.
The former servicemen, along with his accomplices, extorted over Rs1.5 crore ransom including Rs70lac in cash. The court handed down further penalties including 3 years for wrongful confinement, 7 years for robbing the victim’s car, and additional life imprisonment under the Anti-Terrorism Act. The court further issued orders to seize the convicts’ property.
It all started with Bahadur’s brother reporting the kidnapping after a year of delay as the abduction was linked to a financial dispute with Retd Major Nawazish, who was said to be a former business partner in Bahadur’s firm.
Bahadur testified that he was assaulted, and forced to sign agreements, and pressured into transferring assets. He also revealed that Nawazish and his accomplices illegally took control of his company, selling assets worth over Rs2 crores.
Justice delayed is justice denied but the much-awaited judgment brings a long-awaited sense of justice to the victim.
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