KARACHI: A local court on Friday remanded a suspect in police custody in a case pertaining to the alleged murder of a lawyer.

Police detained and booked Owais over his alleged involvement in the murder of Advocate Farhat Ali Askari.

On Friday, the investigating officer (IO) produced the detained suspect before the judicial magistrate (Central) to seek his physical remand for interrogation and investigation.

The IO mentioned that the suspect was allegedly involved in the killing of the lawyer who was reportedly kidnapped and his body was later found from the Surjani Town area on May 21.

He also said the victim was strangulated to death and his body was recovered on the suspect’s leads.

Further evidence was required to be collected and investigation was still incomplete, the IO said and requested for a 14-day physical remand of the suspect in police custody.

Allowing the request, the magistrate remanded the suspect in police custody till May 28.

The slain lawyer had reportedly left his North Nazimabad residence to meet a client in Gulshan-i-Maymar area, when he went missing.

In a statement, Karachi Bar Association general secretary G.M. Korai said that on the association’s demand, the police have incorporated Sections 302 (premeditated murder) of the Pakistan Penal Code and Section 7 (punishment for acts of terrorism) of the Anti-Terrorism Act, 1997 in the first information report (FIR).

He alleged that the lawyer was kidnapped by detained Owais and main suspect Iftikhar who was at large. They had demanded Rs40 million ransom from the captive’s family for his release.

The kidnappers killed advocate Askari since his family failed to fulfil their demand for ransom, said Mr Korai and demanded safety and protection to lawyers from the government.

Published in Dawn, May 23rd, 2020