Shahzeb Khan murder: Medics say Shahrukh Jatoi is above 19

Members also find discrepancies in his recorded date of birth.

KARACHI:

A seven-member medical board is convinced that the prime suspect in the Shahzeb Khan murder case, Shahrukh Jatoi, is above the age of 19. The board has also found discrepancies in Jatoi’s date of birth as recorded in his educational certificates, birth certificate and passport.

“The board has handed over the sealed final report to police… it will be presented in court on February 11,” said the board’s secretary, Dr Muhammed Taufeeq, on Saturday.

A member of the board, speaking on condition of anonymity, told The Express Tribune that the board unanimously agreed that Shahrukh is older than 19.

“The x-rays of the ball joints, the teeth examination by senior dentists and the physical examination, all suggested signs of maturity,” he added.

An anti-terrorism court had earlier directed the medical superintendent of Services Hospital to constitute a medical board to conduct Shahrukh’s ossification test on January 17.

The previous medical report was rejected as police surgeon Dr Jalil Qadir was not eligible to pronounce Shahrukh a minor. Dr Qadir was subsequently presented a show-cause notice and he fled the scene thereafter.

The provincial heath department then constituted a six-member board, headed by Dow Medical College Principal Professor Junaid Ashraf, which eventually incorporated an additional member.

Shahrukh is the prime suspect in the murder of Shahzeb Khan – the young son of a police officer, who was gunned down in Karachi’s upscale Defence locality on December 25 over a petty dispute. Following the incident, Shahrukh managed to slip away from the country to escape capture, amidst civil demonstrations and online petitions calling for justice for Shahzeb. He was brought back by police after being deported from the UAE and was subsequently identified as the killer by witnesses during an identification parade.

Published in The Express Tribune, February 10^th, 2013.