Majida Abbasi murder case: cops accused of evidence tampering

Jamshoro police face fresh scrutiny as DNA report falsely identifies female victim as male

KOTRI:

In a significant development in the Majida Abbasi murder case, Jamshoro SSP Zafar Siddiq Jhanga has once again suspended ASI Ghulam Sarwar Qureshi and Constable Zakir Hussain Gopang of Nooriabad Police Station and directed them to report to police lines.

The suspension comes after it was revealed that the DNA sample obtained during the exhumation of Majida's body showed male DNA instead of female, suggesting serious tampering or negligence. The sample, which was kept in the police evidence room for over 20 days, was allegedly mishandled.

This is not the first time these officers have faced disciplinary action. In 2022, they were suspended for burying Majida's body without legal procedure and allegedly tampering with 26 testimonies related to the case. Despite this, they were later reinstated.

Majida, a university student and mother of a three-month-old daughter, was allegedly murdered by her husband Zahid Solangi. The case, a tragic end to a love marriage, has seen repeated delays and mishandling by law enforcement.

In the latest hearing at the Sindh High Court, the DNA report submitted by the police shockingly showed the remains belonged to a male, prompting fresh outrage and investigation.

Majida's father, Sikandar Abbasi, a newspaper vendor in Jamshoro, has been tirelessly seeking justice for his daughter for over two years and ten months. The authorities have now ordered a second exhumation and a new post-mortem to verify the facts.

Body of Majida, a final year student of the Centre of Excellence in Art & Design (CEAD), Mehran University of Engineering and Technology (MUET), was recovered from a spot near Ghulam Jakhro village in Jamshoro. Police shifted the body to LUMS hospital for postmortem. Jamshoro Police arrested her spouse Zahid Solangi for the murder.

Zahid Solangi, a final year student of the Sindh University, Jamshoro, said he had solemnised love marriage with Majida two years ago. He said a few days ago, she left him and demanded divorce.

The mutilated body of Majida Abbasi was found from a desolate hilly area in village Ghulam Jakhro near Nooriabad, district Jamshoro (Karachi-Hyderabad Highway), on September 26, 2022.

Police claimed that Solgani had confessed to have killed his wife by hitting her with stones.