MULTAN, Dec 22: Additional District and Sessions Judge Abdul Sattar Khan cancelled the pre-arrest bails of five of the seven accused in the “Afsheen Mussarat murder case,” here on Monday.

Afsheen’s grandfather Allah Ditta Sahu, brother Arsalan Mussarat, Fazeel Raza, Hammad Karamat, Taufeeq Ahmad and her father’s two lawyer friends — Mazhar Dharala and Naeem Thaheem — were granted interim bails.

The court confirmed bails of the two lawyers and ordered the cancellation of the interim bails of the other five accused. The court premises were guarded by police, who immediately took the five into custody.

A “high drama” was reported in and outside the court, as the defence lawyers took the whole day to argue the case of bail confirmation of their clients while a heavy police contingent laced with anti-riot gadgets remained alert outside to guard against any untoward situation because of the social and political status of the accused.

DPO Hamid Mukhtar Gondal told Dawn that all the accused had been lodged at the investigation centre established on the premises of Chehliyak police station.

He said the police would produce them before the area judicial magistrate on Tuesday (today) to obtain their physical remand, hoping that the “mystery” that how many people and who were involved in the murder would now be resolved.

Afsheen’s father Advocate Mussarat Husain Sahu and maternal uncle Naveed Akhtar Sahu have already been arrested.