Adeel-Tatla case: Court extends remand of accused SSP by five days

Co-accused Asad Bhatti also sent on five-day physical remand

LAHORE: A magisterial court on Monday extended the remand of accused Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP) Mufakhar Adeel by five days in the murder case of former assistant advocate general (AAG) Shehbaz Tatla.

When asked about hiring a counsel, the accused said he does not have an assigned lawyer yet.



Police officials sought further remand on plea to properly probe the matter which Tatla’s counsel seconded.

Meanwhile, the court also handed over the co-accused, Asad Bhatti, to the police on five-day physical remand.

Earlier on March 11, police officials contended that the investigation will be carried out to ascertain how the former AAG was murdered, what the murder weapon was and where the body was hidden.

The accused’s counsel did not contest the physical remand, (given by the court on March 11),  adding that it is the right of the police to investigate the matter.

Addressing the media, the accused’s counsel advocate Aftab Bajwa said, “we will cooperate with the police in the process of investigation, but it is very clear that Mufakhar was arrested in doubt”.

Police had also arrested co-accused Asad Bhatti on February 15 and upon whose direction the police recovered important evidence.

Officials recovered laptops of the SSP and Tatla after Tatla went missing on February 14.

On February 13, the Criminal Investigation Agency (CIA) police recorded statements of five persons including three women who had visited the house where the incident occurred. Later, Asad Bhatti confessed to the alleged murder of Tatla.

On February 25, the forensic teams dug out the courtyard of the house and collected the evidence.

On February 20, police met with legal heirs of deceased Tatla registered an FIR in Naseerabad police. Tatla’s brother registered the report claiming his brother was missing.



Earlier in March, the SSP was arrested after he returned to Pakistan due to the fear of coronavirus spreading in Iran.

Sources said security agencies detained SSP Adeel from the Pakistan-Iran border and handed him over to Lahore police.

In his initial statement, Adeel conceded that he had planned the murder of Tatla because he was threatening to assault his wife after having raped his former spouse in 2012.