Sarim Burney's bail request in human trafficking case rejected by court

KARACHI: A local court in the metropolis on Tuesday rejected the bail application of social worker Sarim Burney in the human trafficking case.

The court order of Judicial Magistrate (East) Khaliq ul Zaman came after the conclusion of arguments by Burney's lawyer and those of the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA).

During the hearing, the agency's prosecutor told the court that more evidence needed to be collected against the suspect.

“If the suspect is released on bail, it could affect the investigation,” the FIA ​​lawyer said, adding that the accused was resorting to continuous lies.

He added that other revelations were made during the investigation.

The FIA ​​lawyer told the court that the little girl Haya's mother said she contacted the social worker to get her daughter back, but the social worker refused to return her.

Meanwhile, Burney's lawyer argued that the FIA ​​had failed to properly investigate the matter.

“The parents who adopted the baby from the hospital handed him over to the Sarim Burney Trust,” he told the proceedings.

The social worker's lawyer added that all legal requirements are met in the process of adopting children.

“The FIA ​​made allegations, but could not provide evidence,” the lawyer said.

Over the weekend, the court sent Burney to jail on remand, denying the agency's request to extend his pretrial detention.

The social worker – who runs the Sarim Burney Welfare Trust International, a non-profit entity – was arrested on June 5 after landing at Jinnah International Airport in Karachi following his visit to the United States.

His arrest and remand in pre-trial detention by the FIA ​​follows charges against him, including human trafficking, human smuggling and illegally sending children to the United States, after US authorities brought complaint against him.

Burney is accused of smuggling a little girl named Haya into the United States, the FIA ​​said. Officials added that Burney bought the baby from his parents for Rs 1 million and sent him to the United States.