KARACHI: A judicial magistrate on Friday extended the police remand of two suspects for their alleged involvement in the murder of a foreign woman in Clifton.

Police claimed to have arrested Mohammad Farooq Dossa and his servant Saleem Qureshi for allegedly killing the former’s Kazakhstani wife, Lana, whose body was found hanged in a bungalow in Clifton’s Block-5.

On Friday, the investigating officer of the case produced both the suspects before the judicial magistrate (South) on expiry of their physical remand and requested for extension in the same.

The IO mentioned that suspect Qureshi had allegedly pointed out two other persons, who were also required to be interrogated in connection with the present case.

Counsel for suspect Dossa opposed the IO’s request for extension in the police remand stating that the IO had failed to show any progress after having obtained three-day physical remand of his client for interrogation.

The IO informed the court about progress in medico-legal formalities, including DNA testing of the victim, etc.

The defence counsel maintained that Mr Dossa was an aged person, who was suffering from cancer, adding that he needed at least two persons to take care of him in view of his ailment.

The counsel claimed that the charge of murder levelled by the police against his client was false. He pleaded to the judge not to entertain the IO’s request for his remand in police custody.

However, the IO maintained that the ailing suspect was being taken care of in police custody, where he was also being provided with necessary medicines.

He informed the court that there was pressure on police from the foreign mission concerned with regard to the alleged murder of the victim. Therefore, he requested to extend the physical remand of the suspects for further interrogation and completion of investigation and other legal formalities.

The judge extended the physical remand of both the suspects for three days directing the IO to produce them on the next date along with an investigation report.

However, the judge cautioned to send them in judicial custody if the IO failed to show progress on the next date.

According to the police, the body of 53-year-old Ms Lana, a native of Kazakhstan, was found hanged in a bungalow, adding that the victim was initially attending to Farooq Dossa as a nurse and later they had gotten married.

The police suspected that the post-mortem examination showed marks of a rope around her neck, while the family claimed that she had committed suicide by hanging herself over some unknown issues.

A case was registered under Section 302 (premeditated murder) and 34 (common intention) of the Pakistan Penal Code at the Boat Basin police station on the complaint of Sub-Inspector Mohammad Ashraf Jogi.

Published in Dawn, September 19th, 2020