Fahad murder case: Prime suspect’s physical remand extended

Due to Eid holidays, police produces him before magistrate court

ISLAMABAD: A district and sessions court on Monday granted extension in the physical custody remand of Raja Arshad Mehmood to police for three more days in the Barrister Fahad Malik murder case.

A duty judge at the district court, Adnan Rashid, extended Mehmood’s remand after the police produced him before the court amid tight security.

The suspect was produced before the district court on expiry of his remand earlier granted by an anti-terrorism court (ATC).

Due to official holidays, police produced the suspect before the magistrate court.

Earlier, the ATC-I Judge, Syed Kausar Abbas Zaidi, had granted remand of Mehmood, while sent another suspect, Noman Khokhar, to jail on judicial custody remand for 14 days.

Both the suspects had been nominated in the case.

On Monday, the investigation officer informed the court that the weapon used in crime and a mobile phone had been recovered from Mehmood’s possession. Subsequently, he requested the court to extend his physical remand for recovery of vehicle allegedly used in the crime.

The court approved his request. Mehmood, the key suspect in the murder case, was arrested by the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) officials at the Torkham border, while attempting to escape to Afghanistan on August 28.

Shalimar police had booked Mehmood, Khokhar and at least eight unidentified persons after Fahad was gunned down in F-10/3 on August 15.

Malik Tariq Ayub, Fahad’s uncle, was also injured in the attack, which took place near the Shalimar Police Station.

In an application submitted to the police, Ayub maintained that he was injured by a bullet fired by Khokhar, while Fahad was shot at by Mehmood.

Police had booked the two along with eight unidentified persons for murder, attempted murder and rioting.

Section 7 of the Anti-Terrorism Act, 1997, had also been inserted in the case since the police said that the incident spread terror and fear in the society.

Meanwhile, Judge Rasheed handed over an Afghan national, Jahangir Khan, and a former Pir Wadhai nazim to the FIA on physical custody remand for two days in a case pertaining to a fake Computerised National Identity Card (CNIC).

The Afghan national was allegedly carrying a fake Pakistani identity card and the former nazim has been accused of attesting his documents submitted to obtain CNIC.

The Investigation Officer, Chaudhry Qamar, informed the court that a fake CNIC was seized from the Afghan national’s possession and it was attested by former nazim.

The officer said that the Nadra has cancelled the CNIC but physical custody remand was required to obtain information how they managed to get the identity card.

While accepting his request, the court granted two-day remand of the suspects.

Published in The Express Tribune, September 13^th, 2016.