KARACHI: A judicial magistrate on Sunday sent Kamran Asghar Qureshi, father of prime suspect Armaghan in the Mustafa Amir murder case, to prison on judicial remand in a case pertaining to alleged recovery of drugs and an unlicensed pistol from his possession.

The investigating officer (IO), Haji Muhammad Iqbal, brought Qureshi before a special duty magistrate (South) after the expiry of his physical remand.

After hearing the IO’s request for an extension of the suspect’s police custody, which was opposed by defence counsel Noman Ali, who pleaded for jail custody, the duty magistrate sent Qureshi to prison on judicial remand.

The court also directed the IO to submit the investigation report under Section 173 of the criminal procedure code before the court concerned within the stipulated period.

Later, Khurram Abbas, who is also the counsel for the suspect, told Dawn that the IO had requested a two-day remand for further interrogation.

He said the defence side submitted that the police did not record any video during the raid.

He added that the defence side contended that, as per the FIR, the suspect was outside his house and had drugs in his possession.

He said that the defence side questioned as to how it was possible that, being a resident of the bungalow, he would bring the drug outside instead of using it inside.

In the last hearing, Qureshi had complaint regarding the maltreatment at the hands of police before the court, on which Judicial Magistrate (South) Shahzad Khauwaja, directed the IO for medical examination of the suspect.

According to the contents of the FIR, on March 20, the Anti-Violent Crime Cell (AVCC) was conducting a search operation for a proclaimed absconder wanted on terrorism charges in district South.

Meanwhile, as they entered the jurisdiction of Gizri police station, the policemen received information that a man named Kamran Asghar was standing outside his bungalow, waiting for someone before leaving.

The informer further stated that he had an illegal weapon, it added.

Acting on the tip-off, the AVCC apprehended Kamran based on their source’s information, the content claimed.

During the search, a blue school bag he (the suspect) was carrying was checked, and from the inside of a plastic bag, 200 grams of ice (methamphetamine) was recovered, the FIR claimed.

The police also allegedly seized one 9MM pistol along with five live bullets, it added.

Currently, two cases have been registered against the suspect at the AVCC police station for offences under Sections 6/9-2 (4) of the Control Narcotics Substances Amendment Act 2022 and Section 23 (I) (a) of the Sindh Arms Act 2013.

Published in Dawn, March 24th, 2025