A local court in Islamabad on Monday extended the physical remand of Shahnawaz Amir — the main suspect in the Sarah Inam murder case — for another three days.

Shahnawaz was arrested on Sep 23 for allegedly killing his Canadian national wife. The incident took place at a farmhouse located in Shahzad Town where the suspect lived along with his mother, Sameena Shah.

During today’s hearing, police presented the main suspect in the court of Civil Judge Muhammad Amir Aziz, seeking a three-day extension in Shahnawaz’s physical remand.

The investigation officer informed the court that Sarah’s passport had still not been recovered, terming it to be a “crucial” part of the investigation. He went on to say that Sarah’s passport would provide a clean picture of her travel history.

The judge subsequently extended Shahnawa’z physical remand for another three days.

Bail of suspect’s mother extended

Meanwhile, a district and sessions court in Islamabad extended the interim bail of Shahnawaz’s mother Sameena till Oct 7 (Friday). Additional Sessions Judge Sheikh Sohail conducted the hearing.

Rao Abdul Rahim, the counsel for the Sarah’s father, stated the family had said they did not want to involve an “innocent person” in the case.

“They (the family) should be given more time to furnish proof of their defence,” Rahim told the court, adding that he also had to go over some evidence in this regard.

Following the arguments, the court extended Sameena’s interim bail.

Sameena has been nominated as co-accused in the murder case under section 109 (punishment for abetment if the act abetted is committed in consequence and where no express provision is made for its punishment) of the Pakistan Penal Code.

The case

Police have become a complainant in the case, with the FIR registered on the complaint of Shahzad Town Station House Officer Nawazish Ali Khan.

The complaint stated that on September 23, Sameena called police and informed them that Shahnawaz had murdered his wife “with a dumbbell”.

“My son is present in the house and has hidden the body,” the FIR quoted Sameena as saying, adding that the police subsequently raided the house.

“He had locked himself up in his room. When they broke inside, there were blood stains on Shahnawaz’s hands and clothes,” the police said in the complaint.

“He then confessed that he had repeatedly hit his wife with a dumbbell during an argument and then hid her body in the washroom’s bathtub.”

According to the FIR, Shahnawaz also said he had “hidden” the murder weapon under his bed.

Upon examining the dumbbell, the police found blood and hair on it. “We have sent it for forensics,” the FIR added.

The complaint further stated that the victim’s body had been sent to the Polyclinic Hospital for a postmortem examination.

Sarah’s father has demanded that Shahnawaz be “sentenced to death” within two to three hearings.