'Spiritual healer', son held in blind murder case

VEHARI:

Vehari Police claimed to have solved a blind murder and kidnapping case with the arrest of a fake spiritual healer and his son, who allegedly murdered a man after defrauding him of hundreds of thousands of rupees.

According to District Police Officer (DPO) Tasawur Iqbal and SDPO Rana Muhammad Imran Tipu, police received information about the kidnapping of Shafqat, brother of a local village numberdar, from the 36-KB area. A case was registered at Sahuoka Police Station and an investigation was launched immediately.

During a search operation near Khadar Canal, police recovered the victim's shoe along with blood stains and drag marks. Authorities later suspended canal water flow and conducted a search operation, during which the body of the abducted man was recovered from the canal.

On the directions of the DPO, a special investigation team headed by SDPO Rana Muhammad Imran Tipu and comprising SHO Mirza Hasnain and other officers was formed to investigate the case using modern technology and human intelligence.

Police said the investigation led to the arrest of suspect Imdad Hussain, who allegedly posed as a spiritual healer, and his son Saim.

During interrogation, investigators claimed the suspect had allegedly hypnotised the victim over time and fraudulently obtained large sums of money from him. Police said the fake spiritual healer convinced the victim that he possessed supernatural powers and could double his money.

According to investigators, the suspect repeatedly instructed the victim not to disclose the matter to anyone, claiming the "process" would fail if it became public.

Police alleged that on the day of the incident, the suspect received Rs560,000 from the victim before allegedly administering a poisonous substance to render him unconscious. Investigators said the victim was then murdered with a sharp-edged weapon and his body was thrown into the canal in an attempt to conceal the crime.