Dr Akash murder case: Karachi court grants seven-day physical remand for three suspects

A judicial magistrate on Thursday remanded three suspects, allegedly involved in the killing of Dr Akash Kumar near Teen Talwar earlier this week, in police custody for seven days.

Kumar, a 28-year-old doctor, was shot dead on Monday after armed robbers intercepted his vehicle near Teen Talwar in Clifton and fled with around Rs2 million he had withdrawn from a bank. The killing sparked widespread outrage among citizens and members of the healthcare community.

During the hearing, Investigating Officer Qasim Tanoli asked South Judicial Magistrate Zahid Ali to grant a two-week physical remand of the three suspects — Suresh alias Sagar, Ram Chand and Anil — in connection with the robbery and murder case.

Tanoli told the court that the suspects were allegedly involved in the armed robbery during which the doctor was shot dead.

He further said that the suspects were allegedly involved in several other criminal cases and were also facing a separate case involving the possession of illegal weapons, registered at the Defence Police Station.

“The suspects would first conduct surveillance of their targets before planning and carrying out robberies,” Tanoli said, adding that Dr Kumar had been targeted in a similar manner.

Read: Karachi police arrests 3 suspects over young doctor's murder during Teen Talwar robbery

Tanoli prayed to the court to grant physical remand of the three suspects to ensure that three more accomplices of the suspects, including a woman, could be traced by the police.

The IO contended that police needed information from the suspects to retrieve stolen Rs2 million as well as a car and three motorcycles used during the robbery.

Subsequently, the court approved a seven-day physical remand of the suspects and directed the investigating officer to submit a progress report at the next hearing.

Separately, Prosecutor Hassan Bhatti also filed an application seeking an identification parade of the suspects.

Read More: Young doctor killed in Clifton bank robbery

A day earlier, South Deputy Inspector General (DIG) Syed Asad Raza said three out of the five suspects were apprehended from the Defence area in Karachi.

Raza said police recovered mobile phones, three pistols and a car used for escape following the arrest of the three suspects. He also said the suspects were a part of a larger gang involved in several criminal cases, including robbery and car theft.

Several elected and administrative representatives have condemned the murder of the young doctor, including Sindh Home Affairs Minister Ziaul Hassan Lanjar, Karachi Mayor Murtaza Wahab and Inspector General of Police (IGP) Javed Alam Odho.

The home affairs minister and IGP had also vowed to ensure that justice is served to the aggrieved family.