• Parents, guards of accused sent to Adiala jail
• Senate body takes notice of case, summons police officers

ISLAMABAD: Investigators in Noor Mukadam murder case on Tuesday recovered mobile phones of the victim and the alleged killer, Zahir Jaffer.

A police officer close to the investigation told Dawn on condition of anonymity that the mobile phones were recovered on information provided by the accused during interrogations.

On Monday, a duty magistrate had extended physical remand of the accused for two more days so that the police could recover mobile phones and other evidence linked to the case.

“He revealed the location of the mobile phones during interrogation,” the officer said.

A police team recovered the mobile phones from a room adjacent to the one where Noor Mukadam was murdered, the officer said, adding that both mobile phones were hidden in different cupboards and were switched off.

The mobile phones will help provide the timeline of calls available in the call log, he said, adding that the deleted data from apps and phones’ galleries were also being recovered.

Some stuff, found in the mobile phones, is considered evidence and will be used against the accused during the trial.

Replying to a question, the police officer said the accused had been playing tricks and kept changing his statements, but from Monday evening a change in his behaviour was seen.

“He was not cooperating with the investigators,” the police officer said.

“However, he might have gotten a message during his visit to courts on Monday that he has no other choice but to cooperate,” the officer said, refusing to divulge the name of the person(s) from whom he received the message.

Investigating Officer (IO) Inspector Abdul Sattar confirmed to Dawn that the mobile phones had been recovered from Zahir Jaffer’s residence besides other evidence.

He is on physical remand, the investigating officer said, adding that after completion of investigation his custody would no more be required and he would be presented before the magistrate where he would record his statement under CrPC 164.

Meanwhile, the alleged killers’ parents and guards were sent to Adiala jail on judicial remand on Tuesday.

The police produced them in the court of the area magistrate after two-day physical remand, the officials said, adding that their counsel requested the court to send them on judicial remand, which was not opposed by the police.

After hearing the arguments, the magistrate sent them to jail.

Bail applications for all the four had also been submitted in the court of additional sessions judge who would take them up on July 30.

Meanwhile, the Senate Standing Committee on Human Rights also took notice of the incident and summoned the police officers connected with the case.

According to the notice issued from the Senate Secretariat, the senators would receive a briefing on the rising trend of crime and violence against women, with particular reference to the brutal murder of Noor Mukadam, and deliberate steps to curb such cases and ensure safety and security of women.

Published in Dawn, July 28th, 2021