14 accused suspected to be hiding in PoK declared proclaimed offenders in Rajouri

Rajouri/Jammu, Nov 23: Fourteen persons, including a couple, believed to have illegally crossed the Line of Control into Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK) in 2011, were declared proclaimed offenders by a local court in Jammu and Kashmir’s Rajouri district, officials said on Saturday.

The court of Munsiff-cum-Judicial magistrate (first class), Kotranka declared the accused as proclaimed offenders in response to an application moved by Kandi SHO on November 14, which will facilitate attachment of their properties, the officials said.

They identified the accused as Mohd Aslam, his wife Hakam Jaan, Sobhat Ali, Mohd Sharief, Mohd Iqbal and Noorani -- all residents of Larkuti, Khadim Hussain of Kandi.

Mohd Azam and Gulzar of Gura Sarkri, Gulam Husain of Peeri, Muneer Hussain of Gakhrote, Mohd Shabir of Panjanara, Kala of Dharsakri and Zabir Hussain of Kanthol are among the 14 accused.

A case under relevant sections of Egress Internal Movement (Control) Ordinance stands registered against them, they said.

Hearing the case, the court observed that general arrest warrants were issued against all the accused on February 16, 2012 but they could not be arrested so far.

“I am of the legal opinion that the accused persons are absconding from their actual place of residence and there is no likelihood of (their) early arrest," the judicial magistrate, first class, Deepshikha said in her one-page order.

"Hence, the accused persons are declared as proclaimed offender and written publication be made against the accused persons to appear in person before this court within 30 days from the date of publishing of the aforesaid proclamation,” she said.