KARACHI  -  The Sindh High Court (SHC) on Tuesday accepted the request for physical remand of accused Armaghan, who was arrested in the murder case of young Mustafa Amir.

The SHC suspended the verdict of the Anti-Terrorism Court (ATC) and ordered police to present the accused in the ATC forthwith. The hearing began with the court inquiring about the custody of the accused. In response, the additional prosecutor general read out the FIR regarding the kidnap of Mustafa. The APG stated that Mustafa was kidnapped on Jan 6.

During the investigation, the statement of the victim’s mother was recorded. She revealed that she had received a call for Rs20 million. After the call, the investigation of the case was transferred to the Anti Violent Crime Cell (AVCC).

A team of police on Feb 8 conducted a raid at a bungalow in Defence after receiving information about the presence of the accused.  The court asked the government lawyer which officer from the CIA was investigating the case.

The government lawyer replied that Inspector Amir from the CIA was the investigating officer. The operation was conducted at 4:40pm and continued until 9pm during which the accused fired at the police party, he said.

The SHC asked which weapon was recovered from the accused’s house. The lawyer stated that a separate FIR was registered for the weapon recovery.

Earlier, he said, Armaghan was presented in an anti-terrorism court on Feb 10. He was brought for physical remand for his alleged involvement in three cases.

The lawyer further informed the court that the accused’s firing had injured two policemen. They had requested a one-month physical remand, which was not granted. The accused was found in possession of the victim’s mobile phone, and it was revealed that there were five previous cases against him, he said.

The court remarked that the physical remand was not granted due to alleged torture of Armaghan by police. The court asked if there was any evidence of torture. The accused Armaghan claimed that he had been tortured, and the court ordered an inspection to check for any signs of abuse on his body.

Young Mustafa Amir’s gruesome killing cast a pall of gloom in his home as police launched investigation in the case. Police said the murder was an outcome of a dispute between two friends.

Sheraz, one of the suspects police earlier apprehended, claimed that Armaghan killed the teenager to settle personal score. There were also reports that a girl was involved in the gruesome murder of 24-year-old Mustafa.

Armaghan called Mustafa to his home on some pretext on Jan 6 and thrashed him with an iron rod for three hours. He later put him in his car trunk and drove towards Hub, Balochistan, police quoted Sheraz as having said.

The youngster’s mother, Wajeeha Amir, complained to the Darakhshan police and faced a great deal of difficulty in having a case registered. She suspected Armaghan’s involvement in the case. She also reveived call for ransom from an American number.