KARACHI: Afreen Baig murder accused plans jailbreak
By Our Staff Reporter
KARACHI, April 4: Inspector General of Prisons, Sindh, has asked the Capital City Police Officer, Karachi, to lodge a case against three under trial prisoners (UTPs), including an accused in Afreen Baig murder case, and two employees of a local court for preparing a jailbreak plan.
Officials said on Wednesday the UTPs – Mohammed Bux, Intisarul Haq and Aijaz alias Sajjad -- had prepared, with the connivance of court staff, a fake order for their production on February 15 in the juvenile court on Jail Road, where security arrangements were nominal.
They said Iqbal Khatri and Mukhtiar, reader and stenographer of a court respectively, were involved in preparing a fake production order of the three UTPs to help them escape from court.
The officials said Zahida Bibi, wife of UTP Mohammad Bux, was also involved in the jailbreak plan and would also be booked in the case. Zahida Bibi, a co-accused with her husband in Afreen Baig murder case, is on bail.
They said Provincial Prison Chief Mohammed Yameen Khan took this step on a report by the superintendent of Central Prison, Karachi.
Farooq Mengal, husband of Afreen Baig, is alleged to have masterminded the murder of his wife. The driver of the victim and his wife, who was the maid at Mengal’s house, are co-accused.
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 his confessional statement before a judicial magistrate and stated that he had killed the woman on the inducement of Farooq Mengal.
The driver, who said Farooq Mengal had promised to give him Rs1 million for killing Afreen, was given in judicial custody by the judicial magistrate after his confessional statement under Section 164 of the Criminal Procedure Code (CrPC).
The accused stated that Farooq Mengal was angry as he suspected illicit relations between Afreen and her ex-husband.
Giving the details of the murder, Mohammad Bux said he sent his wife, Zahida, to Afreen’s room to bring victim’s cellular phone downstairs. He said Afreen became infuriated and came down chasing his wife. He said that as she came down, he slapped her and then trussed her up with a sofa.Then, he said, he made her sign two cheques for Rs250,000 each. He said he made the woman drink an entire bottle of Red Label (Scotch whisky). Moreover, he said, he then made her drink a glass of milk, laced with sedatives. Mohammad Bux said the woman started vomiting and he gagged her mouth and killed her. Then he shifted her to the bathtub and left to purchase air tickets for his wife and himself.
He said he returned with the tickets and went to the bank to withdraw the money. He said since the amount was hefty, the bank manager insisted on talking to the account holder. He said his wife was holding the victim’s cell-phone and impersonated Afreen when the manager called her.
He said the watchman of the neighbours saw them leaving the victim’s house in haste. He also stated that Farooq Mengal was in contact with them during and after the incident.
