Noor Mukadam murder case: Sufficient forensic evidence collected against Zahir Jaffer

• "The shirt worn by the suspect had bloodstains of the victim which matched the victim’s DNA," per reports. 
• “Zahir Jaffer underwent the photogrammetric test which came out as positive. After which he tried to destroy the evidence,” IO says.
• A Swiss Army knife and a knuckle punch were recovered from the scene of the incident which was covered with victim’s blood, per the reports.

ISLAMABAD: A meeting related to Noor Mukadam's murder case was held under the chairmanship of Inspector General of police (IGP) Islamabad Mohammad Ahsan Younus which confirmed that strong and sufficient evidence has been collected against the main accused Zahir Jaffer, Geo News reported Tuesday.

According to a statement issued by the Islamabad police, the evidence was professionally collected from the crime scene and was sent to the Punjab Forensic Science Agency (PFSA).

The IG said that the objections and ambiguities regarding the case created by the media need to be removed, per the report.

Questions related to the case

The IO was asked if there was any blood recovered on the pants of the suspect at the time of the murder, to which he replied: “There were no traces of blood found on his pants.”

However, according to sources citing the contents of the forensic report, the shirt which was worn by the suspect had bloodstains of the victim which matched the victim’s DNA.

The IO was asked whether the accused's fingerprints were found on the knife which was used as a murder weapon, to which the IO said: “According to the forensic report, there were no signs of any fingerprints of the accused on the murder weapon; however, the DNA of the victim was found on the knife.”

Upon being asked if Noor Mukadam underwent a photogrammetric test, the IO replied with a “no”.

The IO said that the photogrammetric test was conducted to verify the accused's identity. 

“Zahir Jaffer underwent the photogrammetric test which came out as positive. After which he tried to destroy the evidence,” he added.

The evidence

The forensic report confirmed that Noor was raped before she was killed. It further stated that Zahir’s skin was found underneath the victim’s nails as she tried to save herself.

A Swiss Army knife and a knuckle punch were also recovered from the scene of the incident which was covered with victim’s blood, per the report.

The IG Islamabad said: "These are very strong pieces of forensic evidence and the investigation team is committed to seeking justice for Noor Mukadam."

Sufficient evidence for conviction

The IO further said that the detailed report of the PFSA "is yet to be read on the next hearing which contains comprehensive forensic evidence, sufficient for the conviction of the accused".

"The crime scene was visited by senior-most officers at the time of occurrence and scene was completely preserved by forensic experts of the PFSA to avoid any contamination," it added.

The IG directed the investigation team to follow Noor’s case in the best way possible.

The meeting was attended by DIG Operations, Chief Prosecutor, SSP Investigation, SP Investigation, DSP Legal and IO of the case.