Shahzeb murder case: SC orders police to present Shahrukh Jatoi on Jan 10

Anti-Terrorism Court issues non-bailable arrest warrants for Shahrukh, police team to leave for UAE to search for him.

ISLAMABAD/ KARACHI: The Supreme Court, hearing the Shahzeb Khan murder case on Monday, gave strict orders to the police to arrest prime suspect Shahrukh Jatoi and present him to the court on January 10, reported Express News.

Chief Justice Iftikhar Muhammad Chaudhry, heading a three-member bench, maintained that the blame rested with the police officials for not working efficiently in the case. If Shahrukh is not arrested, then the IG Police will have to face legal consequences, he maintained.

During the hearing, Deputy Inspector General (DIG) South Karachi informed the Supreme Court that there were reports of Shahrukh landing in UAE and that he had travelled on another name.

The chief justice remarked that there was contradiction in reports regarding Shahrukh's whereabouts. In the first hearing, it was said that he was in the country, now it is being said that he did not travel on his passport while the documents submitted by the additional IG stated that he was present in the country, the CJ said.

He said that the police had let go of the suspect as even Inspector General (IG) Police Sindh Fayyaz Laghari knew he was from an influential family. But, one should only be afraid of God and not of any influential people, he advised.

During the hearing, the IG Sindh also submitted the progress report of the case. When the court inquired if the report was new or old, the advocate general informed that the report was from January 7’s investigation. The chief justice found the findings of the report contradictory.

The police also informed the court that they have acquired the CCTV footage of Shahrukh.

When the chief justice expressed displeasure over the police’s performance in arresting the remaining two suspects of the case, the DIG South asked for some more time.

There were five suspects initially nominated in the FIR - Shahrukh, his father Sikandar Jatoi, his servant Murtaza Lashari, Siraj Talpur and his brother Sajjad Talpur. Siraj, Sajjad and Lashari have been arrested and are in police custody while the other two are still on the run.

During the hearing, the chief justice maintained that Shahrukh can still flee the country anytime. If the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) helped him run away then even the agency is a suspect in the case, he said.

Justice Chaudhry further questioned why Shahrukh’s father Sikandar Jatoi was not interrogated when he had claimed that his son was also injured in the argument which led to Shahzeb Khan’s murder. The DIG South claimed that Sikandar was lying.

The hearing has been adjourned till January 10.

Red warrant for Shahrukh

An Anti-Terrorism Court (ATC) in Karachi issued a red warrant for Shahrukh Jatoi and a non-bailable arrest warrant for his father Sikandar Jatoi on Monday, reported Express News.

The police presented three arrested suspects before the court and asked for a 14-day remand for them. The suspects, Siraj Talpur, Sajjad Talpur and Murtaza Lashari, were handed a 10-day police study remand.

SSP Farooq Awan, speaking to the media, said that the police came to the court to acquire an arrest warrant for prime suspect Shahrukh Jatoi who is on the run.

He added that a police team, headed by the DIG, will head to UAE to look for Shahrukh.

Police also nominated Shahrukh’s father Sikandar Jatoi in the case for helping Shahrukh flee the country.

Shahzeb was shot dead near his home in Defence last year. A popular student and son of DSP Aurangzaib, Shahzeb’s murder created an uproar in civil society.

The Supreme Court took suo motu notice of the case after the news spread that influential people were creating hurdles in the arrest of the suspects.

In its first hearing, the police were ordered to arrest the suspects within 24 hours or risk losing their jobs.