LAHORE:The Lahore High Court Monday acquitted model Uzma Rao who was awarded the death sentence by a lower court in the murder case of model Abeera on lack of evidence after 7 years.
The Lahore High Court announced its verdict on the appeal filed by model Uzma against her conviction in the famous murder case of model Abeera. The two-judge bench of the Lahore High Court comprising Justice Shahram Sarwar Chaudhry and Justice Muhammad Amjad Rafiq accepted Uzma’s acquittal plea after 7 years citing a lack of evidence.
Model Uzma was handed down the death sentence by a Lahore sessions court which had pronounced her guilty in the murder of model Abeera on March 13, 2018. In 2015, the Shera Kot police recovered the dead body of model Abeera from a bag found in a rickshaw at Niazi Adda. A murder case was registered on Jan 13, 2015 in which Uzma Rao, Farooqur Rehman and Hakeem Zeeshan were nominated.
Two accused Rehman and Zeeshan were acquitted by the sessions court but Uzma was awarded the death sentence. Sarfraz Ali Dial advocate who was representing plaintiff Zohaib Iqbal appeared before the court. He told the court that first Areeba was administered poison then accused Uzma along with her maid, Rukhsana Bibi, put her body in a bag and left it at Niazi Adda.
Justice Shahram asked the advocate whether he had any evidence. On this, the advocate said that he had direct evidence of Uzma’s maid with whom she took the body to the bus station. The judge further asked if he had any other evidence like CCTV footage. The lawyer replied that CCTV footage was part of the police record.
Then the justice asked about evidence from some eyewitnesses who had seen that the murder was committed by Uzma which the lawyer could not produce. The bench after hearing lawyers’ arguments accepted Uzma’s appeal and acquitted her of the murder charge.