KARACHI, July 22: A judicial magistrate on Monday refused to give the investigation officer of a murder case more time to file a final charge-sheet against a film director and others, accepted an interim report as final one and sent the case to the sessions court (south) for trial.

Mansoor Mujahid, the film director, has been booked and arrested for allegedly killing his friend Faisal Nabi in an apartment in Defence on the night between June 19 and 20. Suspect’s friend Anab Hameed and deceased’s companion Masuma Zainab Abidi have also been detained for allegedly abetting the murder.

On previous hearings, the court had granted time to the investigation officer of the case, Inspector Mohammad Mobin, to submit a final charge-sheet. However, the IO failed to submit the final report on Monday and sought more time.

While turning down his request, a judicial magistrate (south) treated the interim investigation report as the final one and sent it to the sessions court for trial.

In the interim report, the IO had recommended that suspect Ms. Abidi may be released under Section 169 (release of accused when evidence deficient) of the criminal procedure code since she was cooperating with the police throughout the investigation and no solid evidence was found against her to link her with the offence.

However, the magistrate did not pass any order about the fate of the female suspect and ruled that it was up to the trial court to decide the matter relating to Section 169 of the CrPC.

Earlier, in the interim charge-sheet, the IO said that Ms. Abidi was an eyewitness of the case and she had informed the police about the murder and her help led the police to the arrest of the suspects and recovery of an unlicensed weapon from the custody of suspect Mujahid.

The IO charge-sheeted Mujahid and his friend Ms. Hameed and 26 prosecution witnesses were placed in the interim report.

According to the prosecution, Mujahid and his friends were consuming some party drugs at Ms. Hameed’s apartment and in the meanwhile he allegedly shot dead the victim after exchanging hot words. Ms. Abidi was also present there and she was also intoxicated. After regaining her senses, she informed the police, it added.

A case was registered under Sections 302 (premeditated murder) and 34 (common intention) of the Pakistan Penal Code on a complaint of the victim’s brother-in-law.

Suspect Mujahid was also booked in a case pertaining to possession of an unlicensed weapon.