MULTAN: Investigators probing the Qandeel Baloch murder case may also look into the role of Mufti Abdul Qavi as well as an elder brother of the slain model who is currently serving in the army, it emerged on Monday.

In a separate development, the police produced suspect Waseem —Qandeel’s younger brother — before a judicial magistrate, who sent him to prison on judicial remand after recording his confessional statement under Section 164 of the criminal procedure code.

Regional Police Officer Sultan Azam Temouri told Dawn that police were not relying completely on the confessional statement of Waseem, but also looking at other aspects.

“Although a confessional statement plays an important role in deciding a case, we are not totally depending on it but also working on other aspects,” he said. He said if needed the police might also investigate the role of Mufti Qavi, a cleric whose video clips with the slain model on the social media caused a controversy, and Qandeel’s second brother Aslam Shaheen.

Sources said that the Multan police had written to officials concerned for permission to interrogate Aslam, who is currently posted in Karachi.

RPO Temouri said that in his statement suspect Waseem had cited the so-called honour — and not financial issues — as the motive for the killing.

He said that the suspect had claimed having attempted to kill Qandeel twice before but remained unsuccessful.

He had confessed to drugging the victim before strangling her, and the samples of milk recovered from the crime scene had also been sent for a chemical analysis, the RPO said, adding that the milk was reportedly consumed by Qandeel and the forensic reports would help in further investigations.

The samples collected from the crime scene and during a post-mortem examination had been sent to the forensic laboratory in Lahore.

He stated during interrogation that the modern lifestyle adopted by Qandeel came under discussion with the other siblings many a time and they were all against it. Though the suspect had escaped soon after committing the crime, police traced him with the help of his mobile phone, the official said.

Police have added Section 311 (Ta’zir after waiver or compounding of right of qisas in premeditated murder) of the Pakistan Penal Code besides Section 302 (premeditated murder) to make the case non-compoundable.

Meanwhile, Mufti Qavi addressed a press conference wherein he stressed that the murderer should be punished, whosoever he was.

He said he had arranged a meeting of Qandeel with Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf chief Imran Khan after Eid, but had to forego it when the model hurt the cleric.

Published in Dawn, July 19th, 2016