Man Jailed for Blackmailing Sindh University Teacher

APP 

Hyderabad: The Anti-Terrorism Court (ATC) Hyderabad on Saturday sentenced a young man to multiple prison terms for blackmailing and extorting money from a Sindh University teacher.

According to court details, the ATC-II convicted Salar Mahar under Section 6(2)(k) of the Anti-Terrorism Act, 1997, awarding him seven years in jail and directing him to return Rs1.4 million that he had extorted from Dr. Naheed Arain, former Provost of Marvi Hostel. The court ruled that failure to repay the amount would result in an additional two-year prison term.

Read More: https://thepenpk.com/faisalabad-man-jailed-for-7-years-over-harassment-blackmail/

Dr. Arain, an Associate Professor in the Department of Comparative Religion and Islamic Culture, became the target of an online defamation and extortion campaign in 2022. Her brother, Rafique Arain, filed a case at the Jamshoro Police Station, accusing Mahar of forging a fake marriage certificate using her name, defaming her on social media, and extorting money through blackmail.

In addition to the terrorism-related conviction, the court sentenced Mahar to another seven years under Section 25 of the Sindh Arms Act, 2013.

He was also awarded two years’ imprisonment under Sections 468, 471, and 34 of the Pakistan Penal Code (PPC) for forgery, and an additional one-year term under Sections 509 and 34 of the PPC for harassment and criminal intimidation.

“All the sentences shall run concurrently,” the court’s order stated.