'Jaffarabad police chief’s death likely to be premeditated murder, not suicide'

Sources say intelligence agencies report states death was framed as suicide; second post-mortem conforms homicide

ISLAMABAD:  

Intelligence agencies and a second post-mortem report have ruled out suicide as the cause of death of a senior police officer in Jaffarabad on Monday, concluding that he was, in fact, murdered.

Sources said intelligence agencies have collected sufficient evidence to establish that the death of a SSP Jahanzaib Khan Kakar was the result of a planned murder by “some influential people” and a possible inside job.

According to an initial police report provided to a private TV channel, Kakar had shot himself in the head with his official pistol in his office chambers.



 

Pictures of the alleged crime scene which were released to the media by an anonymous source on WhatsApp provided a lead to forensic investigators.

The pictures thought to be taken minutes after the SSP’s death and their immediate release to the media has led investigators to rule out suicide, contrary to the claims of the police. The photos, taken from different angles, show the body of the deceased on a sofa with a blood-stained uniform and a bullet hole on his temple. A photo also showed the SSP’s official Glock pistol in his hand, which is resting on his blood stained lap.

“The person who took the photos was present in the chamber when the police officer died,” an intelligence source said, adding, “The purpose of leaking photos to the media and other people was to make people believe that it was a suicide.”

The district police have no knowledge as to who took the pictures and released them. SSP of Naseerabad district Muhammad Saleem Lehri, who has been assigned the additional charge of Jaffarabad police office, told The Express Tribune that the pictures were not taken or released by his men. However, he agreed that the photos must have been released with the intention of making it look like a suicide.  “It is a relevant question and this aspect should also be taken into consideration during investigation,” he said, while reiterating that he had no clue who was given access to the crime site to take the photos.

The former SSP’s younger brother Dr Aalamzaib Khan Kakar  confirmed that the images were not released by anyone from his family . “I don’t know who is behind all of this,” he remarked, adding, “The photos released on WhatsApp were very painful for our family.”



Intelligence investigators are convinced that the photographs were taken by someone who had easy access to the chamber. They also believed that the same person released them to the media.

Post-mortem

Another picture of the late officer’s postmortem report by a medical officer at District Headquarter hospital Dera Allahyar was also circulated on WhatsApp on Monday.

The autopsy report claimed that the SSP died from self-inflicted injuries on his temple. Copies of those photos have also been obtained by The Express Tribune.

A second postmortem report by the Civil Hospital Doctors, Quetta has established that it was homicide and not suicide. The police surgeon, Dr Noor, who had supervised the autopsy in the Quetta hospital Monday afternoon had already rejected police claims of suicide.

The second postmortem report was not leaked to the media on WhatsApp.