KARACHI: An antiterrorism court on Tuesday sentenced an extortionist to five years imprisonment.

Prem was found guilty of demanding protection money from a shopkeeper by putting him in fear of death in April last year near Lighthouse.

Judge Saleem Raza Baloch of the ATC-III also imposed a fine of Rs10,000 on him. In case of default, the convict would have to undergo an additional three-month imprisonment, according to the ruling.

The prosecution said that Prem had called shopkeeper Khizar Siddig and demanded Rs200,000 as protection money from him and the amount was later settled at Rs20,000. The policecaught the extortionist red-handed while collecting protection money from the shopkeeper, it added.

A case was registered under Sections 384 (extortion), 386 (extortion by putting a person in fear of death or of grievous hurt) and 34 (common intention) of the Pakistan Penal Code read with Section 7 of AntiTerrorism Act, 1997 at the Arambagh police station.

In another extortion case, however, the court acquitted him for want of evidence.

He was facing the charge of allegedly demanding protection money from shopkeeper Mohammad Altaf in April 2013.

Preventive detention The Pakistan Rangers produced on Tuesday seven suspects before an anti-terrorism court and informed it about their 90-day preventive detention for questioning.

The paramilitary force personnel along with their legal team produced Mohammad Asif, Riaz, Rashid Ibrahim, Murtaza alias Saleem, Amir, Khalil-ur-Rehman and Owais, before the ATC-III along with detention orders and jail warrants.

The court was informed that the suspects were picked up from different parts of Lyari and the law enforcers had credible information about their alleged involvement in offence under the Anti-Terrorism Act, 1997.

They informed the court that the suspects were placed under preventive detention for three months for further questioning under Section 11EEEE(1) of the Act.