Doctor found dead in his car

Doctor fatally shot, cousin suspected of the murder.

ISLAMABAD: A 35-year-old dentist was found dead in his car near sector I-10/1 on Friday night. Dr Muhammad Afzal was returning home from a private hospital in Peshawar road where he worked.

City police received a complaint about an abandoned car near I-10/1.

When the nearby patrol police searched the car, they found Afzal’s body lying inside.

Police said that the motive behind the killing was unclear. “He was shot in the neck. The bullet entered from the left side of the neck and left his body from the right side of the cheek.”

The shell could not be found in the car, said the investigation officer, which means that the killer took extra care to cover his tracks.

The body was shifted to Pakistan Institute of Medical Sciences (Pims) for autopsy after which it was handed over to his family.

The autopsy report suggested that Afzal was killed between 10:00 pm and midnight.

When the police recovered the body, his wound was fresh. “The doctor had dropped a friend home at 9:40 pm and was on his way back home when he was intercepted and killed,” said a police official. He speculated that the killer was probably well acquainted with Afzal, since he probably allowed him into the car.

In a complaint lodged with Sabzi Mandi police, his brother Abdul Aziz expressed suspicions that his cousin Syed Taufeeq Hussain Shah could be behind the murder. He alleged that Shah had an old grievance against his brother since he wanted to marry Dr Yasmeen, the wife of Afzal. Yasmeen and Afzal were married for seven years and had two children.

Police registered an FIR against Shah and started investigations. Police said they were also investigating on lines other than the accusations made by his family. “His family has gone to their native town in Mansehra district for burial and investigations will be carried forward after they return,” police said.

Published in The Express Tribune, November 1^st, 2010.