FIA plea for remand extension of Armughan turned down

Court remands accused in illegal call centre case to judicial custody

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The judicial magistrate for District South on Tuesday remanded Armughan Qureshi to judicial custody in an ongoing investigation into an illegal call centre operation, expressing dissatisfaction over the FIA's failure to show progress despite repeated extensions of physical remand.

Armughan, who is also the main accused in the high-profile Mustafa Amir murder case, was produced before the court upon completion of his latest remand. The FIA's investigating officer (IO) sought further custody, stating that during interrogation, the accused had revealed the identities of more than five alleged accomplices and disclosed details of digital accounts and addresses, which required further probing.

However, the court questioned the need of extending physical remand any further, stating that the accused had already been in FIA custody for nearly two months. "You have not done anything in four remands," the magistrate remarked, criticising the FIA's slow pace of investigation.

The court also inquired about the accused's legal representation and whether he had been subjected to any form of mistreatment during detention. In response, Armughan stated dismissively, "Do whatever you want," and then remained silent despite repeated questions from the judge. The judge remarked that the accused had appeared cooperative in earlier proceedings but was now unresponsive.

A female lawyer present in the courtroom raised an objection, calling the accused's silence contempt of court. The magistrate acknowledged the concern, adding, "This is not an ordinary case," and referred to the accused's alleged involvement in multiple cases. The FIA argued that access to the accused's digital wallets and further recoveries were still pending. However, the court ruled that the investigation had been granted ample time for such purposes and denied the request for further remand.

The magistrate ordered Armughan to be sent to jail on judicial remand and directed the FIA IO to submit the final challan at the next hearing.