Anatomy of a murder: Innocent youth becomes target of friends' greediness

KARACHI: Mohammad Bilal had big dreams. The ambitious youth wanted to become an anchor and make a name for himself. However, the 22-year-old university student became an innocent target of his friends' greediness.

On the eve of November 4, 2015, Bilal was at home reading unaware that in a few hours he will be taking his last breath. While reading, Bilal received a call on his mobile phone from his neighbour Adeel, who asked his help in transporting some equipment to a mutual friend, Noman's, gym.

After getting permission from his parents, Bilal went with his neighbour. However, when they reached the gym, located two streets away from Bilal’s house, they found Noman and another friend, Danish, waiting for them.

As soon as Bilal entered the gym, Noman, Danish and Adeel began to beat him up. Danish, who works as a male nurse, gave anaesthesia to Bilal, and wrapped a cloth laced with it around his face.

Their plan was to threaten Bilal and demand ransom for him. However, Bilal was not able to survive and died shortly.

The young men started freaking out and decide to wrap the body in a big plastic bag and keep it on the gym’s roof.

Adeel returned home at 10pm, but Bilal’s parents kept waiting for their son all night.

Bilal’s father, Rizwan, went to Adeel’s house but his family said he was fast asleep.

A tired, helpless Rizwan then went looking for his son. After continuous failed attempts, he went to Adeel’s house once again. Adeel opened the door and claimed to be unaware of Bilal’s whereabouts.

Rizwan then lodged a missing person complaint at Shah Faisal police station. The unsuspecting father thought his son had been picked up by security personnel over a misunderstanding. The will to reunite with son encouraged him to try harder to find him.

Rizwan also mentioned that Bilal had left with Adeel, who then returned alone. But the police investigated Adeel and gave him a clean chit.

Adeel, however, let his sister in on the murder after which she helped the boys, changing the bags in which the body was kept [to counter the stench] after every three to four days. The accomplices kept doing this for more than month to ensure suspicion is not aroused. The body was also moved to another nearby gym’s roof.

On December 12, the accomplices were no longer able to tolerate the stench and decide burn the body.

Adeel, Nida, Noman and Danish wrapped the body in a red carpet, sprinkled petrol on it and set it on fire. The burnt body was eventually thrown in a trash box.

When the body was found, it was difficult to identify it. The Al-Falah police handed over the body to Edhi Foundation and they buried it in Mowach Goth Edhi Graveyard.

On the other hand, Bilal’s family members spent many sleepless nights, praying for his safe recovery. Time went by but they still had no clue where Bilal was.

In May 2016, Adeel and his sister, Nida, flew to Dubai.

As Noman and Danish were going through financial troubles; Noman had to close his gym while Danish was fired from his job. Desperate for money, the two sold Bilal’s mobile phone at a shop in Gulshan-e-Iqbal’s mobile market on May 15 this year.

As the phone was switched on, Counter-Terrorism Department officials got the alert message. The personnel went to the shop owner and asked him about who sold him the mobile phone.

The shopkeeper revealed Noman’s name, who the police detained and interrogated. Noman eventually revealed the names of all his accomplices. Danish was also arrested but Adeel and Nida are still absconding.

After the details were revealed to Bilal’s family, they went to the Edhi Foundation to get more information about the deceased’s grave and were provided a grave number.

However, the number proved to be futile as the grave markings have disappeared now and the family has no idea which one is Bilal’s grave.

Bilal’s mother, teary-eyed, shared that she wants her son’s murderers to be taken to task and police should send a team to Dubai to arrest Nida and Adeel.

Making sense of violence

Speaking about the murder, psychologist Dr Anila Amber said that any criminal incident does not occur in a vaccum. There is always history behind a crime, she said.

She shared that the kidnapping and the way Bilal was killed shows that the criminals had anti-social personalities.

All the four suspects had some history of violence in their lives. They were likely beaten up in their childhood and internalised that violence.