LAHORE: Two weeks after mysterious disappearance of senior lawyer Shahbaz Tatla and SSP-ranked police officer Mukhafar Adeel, investigation into the case has taken a surprise turn as a suspect, who is now in police custody, has made some disclosures.

A senior official privy to the information told Dawn that the suspect was a common friend of both the lawyer and the police officer. He has been playing the role of a `middleman’ and organiser of ‘private parties’ at a rented house in Faisal Town.

The official said the suspect used to arrange girls for parties at the house where it is being suspected that Mr Tatla was allegedly murdered.

He said during questioning the man told the police that Shahbaz Tatla was [allegedly] killed by SSP Mukhafar Adeel. He said the SSP had got the crime scene washed in a bid to eliminate evidence.

His name has been put on Exit Control List (ECL) when police got some clues that lawyer Shahbaz Tatla might have been murdered by Adeel following some serious/sensitive issues, the official said.

He said the police were yet to conclude the investigation till the arrest of SSP Mukhafar or recovery of the body of his friend Shahbaz Tatla.

The police officers were reluctant to rely upon the statement of the suspect, he said. Meanwhile, there were also some unconfirmed reports that the SSP had escaped abroad by dodging law-enforcement agencies.

The police high-ups dealing the case believed that according to their information so far he was somewhere in northern areas and efforts were under way to trace his whereabouts.

Residents of Narowal, both were friends and business partners and had recently been holding private functions at the rented house in Faisal Town, the official said.

Published in Dawn, February 18th, 2020