Mustafa murder case: What we know so far?

KARACHI: New details have emerged in the notorious case of the abduction and murder of a youngster, Mustafa Amir, whose death was reportedly confirmed by the police on Friday night after his prolonged disappearance.

The case came to light after the prime suspect, Armughan, opened fire at a team of the Anti-Violent Crime Cell (AVCC) — a specialised unit of the Karachi police responsible for tackling cases related to murder and extortion — during a raid at his residence in Karachi's DHA earlier this month. 

The case has been making headlines for the past few weeks as the unit faced multiple challenges in recovering the youngster before finally making progress last night. 

Mustafa, a BBA student had gone missing on January 6. Charred mortal remains — presumably his — were found in a car near the Hub checkpost, which had been set on fire along with the body, a few days later. 

According to the investigation officers, the suspects allegedly murdered Mustafa and burned his body. 

Authorities on Saturday revealed that Armughan and Mustafa were friends, who had engaged in heated argument on New Year’s night. Following the altercation, Armughan allegedly threatened to harm Mustafa and his female friend.

On January 6, the day Mustafa went missing, Armaghan called the victim and allegedly subjected him to violence. The girl involved in the case travelled abroad on January 12. They authorities said that efforts to contact her were being made through Interpol, as her statement was crucial for the investigation.

After the discovery of victim’s body, murder charges were added to the case, based on the second suspect, Shiraz Bukhari alias Shavez's statement. Authorities confirmed that Hub police had informed Karachi police about the body upon its discovery, but the identity could not be ascertained at that point.

According to Hub police, they had received information about a burning vehicle at 7pm on January 11. Upon arrival, officers found a body inside the burnt car. The body was then transferred to Civil Hospital Hub for post-mortem examination.

Meanwhile, the burnt vehicle was taken to the police station, after which a formal investigation was launched.

Faisal Edhi, head of the rescue and ambulance service, revealed that the Balochistan police had contacted Edhi Foundation on January 12, and handed over a charred body to them. He further stated that the body was completely burnt.

Faisal said that the body remained in the Karachi morgue for four days, awaiting the arrival of the deceased’s family as per the SOPs. However, they later buried it in the Mawachh Goth graveyard, he added.

The philanthropist stated that exhumation can be conducted in the presence of a magistrate following a court order. He also mentioned that the family can take the body with them if they wish.

Meanwhile, investigation officials revealed that Shiraz worked for Armughan and was involved in allegedly planning both the murder and the disposal of the body. The officials said that they would request the court for Armughan’s remand.

As the investigation progressed, police confirmed that they had received a copy of the FIR registered in connection with the discovery of the burnt car today. The case had been lodged at Hub Dureji police station on behalf of the state on January 12, with murder and other charges against unknown individuals.

Police approach SHC for suspect's remand

In a related development, the police approached the Sindh High Court seeking the physical remand of the prime suspect, which was previously denied by an anti-terrorism court (ATC) judge.

In the petition, the police have challenged the order to register a case against the raiding team involved in the arrest. According to the prosecutor general, the ATC's administrative judge had sent the suspect to jail under judicial custody.

The prosecutor general argued that sending the suspect to jail before the investigation could begin was against the principles of justice. The police also termed the decision to register a case against the raiding team as "incomprehensible".

The plea seeks nullification of the ATC judge’s ruling and allow further investigation.

Meanwhile, the trial court remanded Shiraz into police custody till February 21 and sought a report from the investigation officer.

According to police officials, Darakhshan Police Station investigation officers Inspector Zulfiqar and ASI Iftikhar were suspended for “poor investigation” of the case and alleged negligence in collecting evidence.

DNA samples match

Meanwhile, the police received the DNA report of blood samples found at Armughan's house, which confirmed a match with Mustafa's mother.

The South deputy inspector general said that the blood stains were discovered during a raid at the prime suspect's residence, and samples were collected for testing. To confirm the match, Mustafa's mother also provided her blood samples.

Police then submitted applications for the suspect's remand and the exhumation of Mustafa's body to further the investigation.

It may be noted that raid at the suspect's house resulted in a standoff between the suspect inside the bungalow and police outside, which lasted for hours and left two cops, including a deputy superintendent of police (DSP) wounded. However, in the end, police successfully arrested the suspect, Armughan.

In a press conference following the discovery, Crime Investigation Agency Deputy Inspector General (CIA-DIG) Muqaddas Haider on Friday said that the recovery of Mustafa's mobile phone and other evidence from the suspect, Armughan's house was a turning point in the investigation.

Since then, police had continued searching for Mustafa's whereabouts but failed to make any headway except for claiming to collect some evidence from the bungalow including the missing young man's mobile phone and blood stains.

During interrogation, Armughan initially admitted to the murder but later denied it.

The investigation also faced significant obstacles as the court did not grant police remand for Armughan, making it much harder for the AVCC to take the investigation forward.