KARACHI: A judicial magistrate treated on Saturday an interim charge sheet as final one in a case pertaining to the mysterious death of a woman since the police failed to file the final report.

Haleema was found dead in her flat in Delhi Colony on May 31 while her around three-year-old son Abdullah was admitted to the Edhi Centre by Rizwan Ayaz Khan, said to be the main suspect, on May 25 and claimed that the child was found abandoned near Do Darya.

Earlier, the court had remanded Rizwan and his wife Sonia, who were named in the FIR, in prison.

The police had filed an interim charge sheet on June 16, the investigating officer presented Rizwan as the suspected murderer while requesting the court to release Sonia on the grounds that no clue was found against her.

However, the court had directed the IO to file a final report till June 21. But, the IO remained unable to comply with the court order.

When the case came up for hearing before a judicial magistrate (south) on Saturday, the IO turned up to seek more time for submission of a final investigation report.

A lawyer representing Sonia, pleaded for acquittal of his client by submitting that even the police had stated that she was not found involved in the crime.

However, the magistrate expressed displeasure over the IO and while treating the interim charge sheet as final one, forwarded the case to a sessions court for trial.

The magistrate ruled that the matter about the release of the female suspect would also be decided by the sessions court.

The police had arrested Rizwan on June 8 and claimed that he confessed to have killed the woman since she threatened him to expose their ‘relationship’ to his wife.

However, later the suspect declined to confess before a magistrate and said that the police were forcing him record his confession and also alleged that the deceased’s stepson was behind the murder.

An application, filed by Chaudhry Mohammad Iqbal, said to be the father of Abdullah, seeking the custody of the child is also pending before a family court.

Published in Dawn, June 26th, 2016