Supreme Court acquits kidnapping-for-ransom convict after 12 years

The Supreme Court has acquitted a man convicted in a kidnapping-for-ransom case after 12 years, setting aside his life sentence and giving him the benefit of the doubt.

The court accepted the acquittal appeal of Abdul Razaq in a seven-page judgment authored by Justice Ishtiaq Ibrahim.

The Supreme Court observed that there was a land dispute between the parties and that neither the complainant nor any other witness had seen the alleged kidnapping take place.

The judgment also termed the alleged recovery of Rs300,000 from the accused suspicious, noting that there was no evidence establishing that the recovered amount was connected with the alleged ransom.

A trial court had sentenced four accused in the case to life imprisonment and ordered confiscation of their properties.

The Lahore High Court later acquitted three of the accused but maintained Abdul Razaq’s life sentence.

The Supreme Court, however, overturned the conviction and acquitted Abdul Razaq after extending him the benefit of the doubt.

The kidnapping-for-ransom case had been registered in Narowal in 2014.