Husband acquitted: Driver handed death penalty in Afreen Baig murder case

Additional District and Sessions Judge South Abdul Razzak on Monday sentenced an accused to death in the murder case of TV artist-turned director Afreen Baig while her husband and the main accused Farooq Mengal was acquitted of the charge of masterminding the murder. The convicted accused Muhammad Bux was the driver of the deceased. The third accused namely Zahida, the housemaid of the deceased and wife of the convicted accused, is still absconding in the case. According to the prosecution, accused Farooq Mengal planned the murder and was issuing instructions from Lahore to the alleged killer couple.

Mirza Ishtiaq Baig, the complainant alleged that Farooq had his wife murdered, as she was about to receive a hefty sum of money from one of her drama serial. The body of the deceased was found with hand tied and marks of torture. Muhammad Bux and Zahida went missing soon after the murder and were seen leaving the house with their luggage. They were arrested from the house of a relative in the Punjab and were brought to Karachi to stand trial. Zahida was bailed out after which she absconded and was declared a proclaimed offender. Announcing the verdict, the ADJ sentenced Muhammad Bux to death while acquitting Mengal. The court also ordered payment of rupees 100,000 as Qisas to the heirs of the deceased and also sentenced him to a seven-year term on charge of robbery.