ISLAMABAD - In a barbaric incident, the 28-year-old daughter of a former Pakistani diplomat was beheaded during an illegal detention allegedly by a man over a break up in his house located at F-7/4 Sector of federal capital, informed sources on Friday.
The deceased was identified as Noor Mukaddam, the daughter of Shaukat Ali Mukaddam, who served as Pakistan’s Ambassador to South Korea and Kazakhstan.
The gruesome incident took place on July 20, a day before Eid Ul Azha.
Police said she was stabbed and beheaded with a blunt knife allegedly by Zahir Zakir Jaffar, who was immediately arrested from the crime scene while the weapon he used in crime, head ache and cough medicines, a pistol and knuckle glove were also recovered.
Body was moved to Pakistan Institute of Medical Sciences (PIMS) for autopsy.
A murder case has been registered with Police Station (PS) Kohsar under Sections 302 of Pakistan Penal Code (PPC) against the alleged killer Zahir Zakir Jaffar, who is the son of CEO of a leading construction company in Islamabad, on complaint of Shaukat Ali Mukaddam, the father of deceased.
A court of law also has granted the investigators of Homicide Investigation Unit (HIU) of PS Kohsar three days physical remand of the alleged killer.
SSP Investigation Islamabad Atta Ur Rehman said in a presser the killer was fully in control of his senses when he murdered and beheaded the girl in his room.
Inspector General of Police Islamabad Qazi Jamil Ur Rehman also ordered the head of the special investigation team to write a letter to the Ministry of Interior to put the name of the accused in the Exit Control List (ECL).
“Police are suffering with no pressure and the high profile case will be solved purely on merit,” stated SSP Operations Dr Syed Mustafa Tanvir.
According to sources, Zahir Jaffar was a school friend of Noor Mukaddam and wanted to marry her.
They said the differences developed between them that ended to a break up.
They said Zahir Jaffar called Noor informing her he is leaving for US and requested her for a last meeting in his House Number 7, Street Number 60 at Sector F-7/4 on Turbat Road on July 19, 2021 (Monday last). They added Noor, who was living with her parents in Naval Anchorage, reached house of Zahir Jaffar who made her hostage in a room located on the third floor of the house.
“Heated arguments exchanged between the girl and Zahir after which he tried to assault her physically. Noor ran outside of room to save herself and immediately jumped out from balcony and fell down on second floor,” they said ,adding, that a guard of Zahir was witnessing the whole sage who immediately called parents of Zahir, who were present in Karachi and shared all the ordeal with them.
Sensing the sensitivity of the issue, his parents rang up Therapy Works, a UK based organization deals with drug addicts.
A five member team of Therapy Works rushed to the house where a group of five to six common friends of Noor and Zahir had already reached to rescue her.
Sources said Zahir came down to second floor and dragged Noor to the room again whereas a worker of Therapy Works chased him in a bid to rescue the girl.
However, Zahir attacked and stabbed the worker in the hand who ran outside the room and requested the other fellows to come up and to rescue the girl from the clutches of the man.
Zahir stabbed Noor with a sharp knife multiple times and beheaded her, they said.
A neighbour on request of a worker of Therapy Works alerted a senior police officer best known to him, who passed on information to Islamabad police, sources said, adding, that a police team, headed by SSP Operations Dr Syed Mustafa Tanvir and SP City Rana Wahab, came into action and held the killer.
The injured worker of Therapy Works was also shifted to hospital for medical treatment, sources said.
“Oh my God, these moments were horrible because Zahir was detaining Noor in the room and we all were standing outside his house and could not do anything for her. Zahir time and again came out of the room and chatted with us. He also asked us if we could lend him pliers,” said a common friend of Noor while talking to The Nation. He said it took 10 minutes to kill and behead Noor by Zahir Jaffar.
He said a cook and guard were present in the house at the time of the incident.
Earlier, police booked suspect under premeditated killing charges. According to the First Information Report, lodged with PS Kohsar, Shaukat Ali Mukaddam told police he went to Rawalpindi to buy a sacrificial goat where his wife was out to get her Eid dress from a tailor on July 19.
He added they found their daughter Noor missing from home on their return at Magrib time and phoned her on cell but her cell was switched off.
A brief search among her social circle finally made a difference and she rang her mother up telling her she was going to Lahore to attend an Ijtema and will return home in a day or two.
“Zahir Zakir Jaffar, who is our family friend, also phoned men and shared Noor was not with him,” the applicant said, adding, PS Kohsar officials informed her about tragic murder of her daughter in house of Zahir Zakir Jaffar.
He said he along with family went to PIMS where he saw headless body of her daughter which was killed by Zahir Jaffar. Shaukat Ali Mukaddam requested police to register murder case against Zahir and to punish him as per law.
Police lodged case and began investigation after rounding up the killer.
The news of tragic murder of Noor Mukaddam in capital spread like a jungle fire on social media with pouring a flood of criticism over brutal act of Zahir Jaffar and demands from police to bring the killer to task at earliest.
“Noor came into the house of Zahir Jaffar where he stabbed her to death and beheaded her as well,” said SSP Operations Dr Syed Mustafa Tanvir.
He said police arrested the killer and seized weapons from his possession. He said police are facing no pressure and would solve this murder case purely on merit. He said forensic experts had visited the crime scene and collected all the evidence including fingerprints, blood-stained clothes, knife, a pistol and cough and headache medicines from the crime scene. He said all the evidence has been dispatched to the laboratory for reports. “The MLR of Noor was also done whereas police are waiting for the initial medico legal report of her,” he said.
He said statements of all the eyewitnesses have been recorded.
Another senior police officer revealed that Asim or Abid (he could not recall the right name of the guy), was the worker of Therapy Works who was stabbed and injured by Zahir. He said the injured was hospitalized but the organization had not asked police for legal action against the accused so far.
Earlier, SSP Investigation Islamabad Atta Ur Rehman, flanked by ASP Kohsar Circle Amna Baig, told journalists at a presser that Zahir Jaffar was fully conscious and was not under influence of drugs when he was arrested from crime scene by police on charges of beheading Noor.
SSP, who is investigating the high-profile case, also rejected the social media claims the accused was a drug addict. He said the suspected murderer might have had a history of drug addiction but when he was held by police, he was sound and in control of his senses. “The suspect also maimed another person who tried to save the girl from being killed,”. Police also seized a pistol, bullets and a sharp knife from the crime scene.
He also rejected the media reports about firearm injury found on the body of the victim ,adding, that a bullet was stuck in the barrel of the gun recovered from the room of Zahir.
Similarly, IG Islamabad Qazi Jamil Ur Rehman along with SSP Operations Dr Syed Mustafa Tanvir, SSP Investigation Atta Ur Rehman and ASP Amna Baig visited the crime scene and took briefing from subordinates.
Initial postmortem report of Noor, issued by doctors of PIMS, suggested that blockage of Oxygen to her brain caused her instant death. It was also mentioned in the report that the head of the deceased was cut away from body. Signs of countless torture marks were also found on body of Noor. The report also revealed scars were also found down the knees of the woman. The doctors had also dispatched the samples to the laboratory they had taken from the stomach of the deceased. The report of the samples is yet to be received by police investigators.
Inspector General Islamabad Qazi Jameel-ur-Rehman has also directed the investigation team to approach the concerned agencies to put in place the name of the accused in the case of Noor in the Exit Control List. (ECL).
The chief also directed for obtaining the criminal records of the accused from England and the United States.
According to details, IG Islamabad Qazi Jameel-ur-Rehman had a meeting with the investigation team of the slain Noor Mukdom at the Central Police Office. The meeting was also attended by DIG Operation Afzal Ahmad Kausar, SSP Operation Dr. Syed Mustafa Tanveer, SSP Investigation Ata-ur-Rehman, SP City Zone Rana Abdul Wahab, ASP Kohsar Amna Baig and other officers
Briefing the IG Islamabad about the progress of the case, the head of the investigation team, SSP Investigation, said that the statements of the victim’s parents, the killer’s father and two security guards have been recorded.
A forensic team also provided all the evidence while the further investigation is underway to bring the case to a logical conclusion.
The IG said that all the evidence obtained from the incident should be forensic, adding, that the therapy works team should also be met to expedite the case in the light of solid evidence.
Expressing satisfaction over the investigation, the IG Islamabad said that while fulfilling all the requirements of justice, no pressure or recommendation should be taken into account so that the accused could be awarded exemplary punishment.
On the other hand, Prime Minister Imran Khan has also taken notice of the incident and ordered IG Islamabad Qazi Jamil Ur Rehman to ensure merit in the investigation of the murder case.
The HIU Investigators of PS Kohsar will produce the suspected killer before court of an area magistrate today (Saturday) for seeking extension in his physical remand for further investigation.
