KARACHI, Oct 22: Farooq Mengal, who allegedly masterminded the murder of his wife Afreen Baig, was remanded on Friday to the police custody for interrogation. The police produced Mengal in the court of judicial magistrate, South, Maqbool Memon, and sought a 14-day custody of the suspect, who was arrested on Thursday.
The magistrate, however, giving the suspect into custody for three days, ordered the police to produce him before the court on 25th. Afreen Baig, a TV artiste and producer, was allegedly killed at her DHA residence by her driver, Mohammad Bux Umrani, and his wife, Zahida.
Mohammad Bux gave on Thursday his confessional statement before a judicial magistrate, and stated that he had killed Afreen on the inducement of her husband, Farooq Mengal.
The driver, who said Mengal had promised to give him Rs1 million for killing Afreen Baig, was given to the judicial custody by the judicial magistrate after his confessional statement under Section 164 of the Criminal Procedure Code (CrPC).
The accused, confessing to murder conspiracy, said that Mengal suspected Afreen of having illicit relationship with her former husband Masjood. Co-accused Zahida is still in the police custody.
MOSQUE BLAST: An anti-terrorism court put off the hearing of the Haidri Mosque bomb blast case against a worker of the banned Lashkar-i-Jhangvi, as the defence counsel did not turn up.
Judge Haq Nawaz Baloch of the ATC-5 fixed Oct 26 for the next hearing after he was informed that defence counsel Mushtaq Tanoli was absent due to his appearance before another court.
As many as 23 people were killed and 98 others injured on May 7 when a suicide bomber blew himself inside the Haideri Mosque on the premises of the Sindh Madressatul Islam.
Accused Gul Hasan, the alleged mastermind of the blast, was arrested on June 13 within the limits of Mithadar police. He is stated to have planned the attack along with some absconding accused, who included Asif Chottu and Mufti Obaid.
