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Punishes. Just as the king who punishes criminals through men, those men are not called criminals because they are following the king's orders. Similarly, the killer who kills someone is also causing them to experience the fruits of their past karma, because God must have ordained this punishment for their past karma, which is why they were killed. If it is said that man is free to act, and therefore the killer's act is not God-inspired but the result of his free will, then it must be said that in the state of the world, no being is truly free, all are bound by their own karma - "Karmaṇā badhyate jantu" (Mahabharata) and karma has an endless tradition. In such a situation, according to the principle of "Buddhi karmānusārīṇī" - that is, the intellect is according to karma, a person is not free to do or not do any work.
In this situation, it may be said that in such a state, no one will be able to attain liberation because the being is bound by karma and the being's intellect is according to karma. But it is not right to say so, because karma is both good and bad, therefore the intellect that follows good karma leads man towards the right path and the intellect that follows bad karma leads man towards the wrong path. Walking on the right path leads to liberation and walking on the wrong path leads to karma-bondage. In such a situation, the fact that the intellect is according to karma does not hinder liberation.
The freedom and dependence of the soul
It is generally said that the soul is free during the time of action and dependent during the time of experiencing the results. For example, if one eats poison, then...