Police claimed on Thursday that they have arrested Kamran Asghar Qureshi, who is the father of prime suspect Armaghan in Mustafa Amir murder case, for possessing arms and narcotics.
Armaghan is already in police custody till March 24 in connection with Mustafa Amir kidnapping and murder case. The Anti-Violent Crime Cell (AVCC) of the police shared details of Kamran’s arrest through a press release. The press release included an image of a man, presumably Kamran Qureshi, who was standing against a backdrop featuring an AVCC banner while dressed in a t-shirt, pair of jeans, and slippers. His face had been blurred in the image.
According to the press release, under the special directives of Criminal Investigation Agency (CIA) DIG Muqaddas Haider and AVCC Karachi SSP Anil Haider, the AVCC conducted a successful operation against drug dealers.
Acting on a tip-off, the AVCC police raided the House No 35 on the 7th Street of Khayaban-e-Momin in Gizri and arrested a suspect involved in drug trafficking. The arrested man was identified as Kamran Asghar Qureshi, son of Asghar Qureshi.
The press release further stated that during the operation, police recovered 200 grammes of crystal meth (ice), a 9mm pistol, two magazines and ten rounds. A case has been registered against him under the Control of Narcotics Substances Act and for illegal possession of firearms.
Although the official police statement linked Kamran’s arrest with drug trafficking and illegal possession of weapons, AVCC officials provided a different explanation while speaking to The News.
They clarified that Kamran's arrest was not related to a major case like the Mustafa Amir murder or a drug cartel operation. Instead, he was taken into custody for his involvement in the weapons recovered from Armaghan’s house following the police encounter on February 9.
“The investigation into the weapons recovered from Armaghan's house is still ongoing, and evidence suggests that Kamran Qureshi was involved in purchasing these weapons. There were several irregularities in the transaction, and the police have video evidence supporting this,” explained SSP Haider while speaking to The News.
He stated that during the police raid at Kamran’s house, narcotics and a pistol were recovered, and the suspect was being interrogated regarding that. When asked about the allegation that after Amir’s murder, Kamran advised Armaghan to leave the city and relocate his business, SSP Haider responded by saying that there were such claims and the investigators were solving the case step by step.
On February 9, when a police team had raided Armaghan’s house in Gizri in an effort to recover the missing Mustafa Amir, whose death had not been confirmed by then, Armaghan opened heavy fire on the police, injuring a DSP and a constable.
Later, sophisticated weapons were seized from the house. The AVCC suspects that those weapons had originally been purchased by Kamran, who provided them to his son.
Police have also recovered some video recordings from Kamran's mobile phone showing him purchasing weapons and test-firing them. It is suspected that these weapons were procured from Peshawar.
Additionally, sources indicate that Armaghan himself had also purchased some weapons through an individual identified as Bilal, alias Tension. Following Kamran’s arrest, a video statement of his went viral within hours. In the video, he appeared remorseful about his behaviour towards the media and offered an apology. He stated that as a father, he was only trying to protect his son.
"The media was showing the truth, but all I could see was my son," said Kamran in the statement. "If I have hurt any journalist because of my actions, I sincerely apologise," he added. Mustafa Amir, 23, a young man from Defence left his home on January 6 and never returned. His family filed a kidnapping case at the Darakshan police station. On January 20, they received a ransom call from an international number demanding Rs.20 million, turning the case into a high-profile investigation, which was then transferred to the AVCC.
The case took a major turn when the AVCC police raided Armaghan’s house in Gizri, where they faced severe resistance. Armaghan opened fire on the police, injuring a DSP and a constable. After a four-hour-long exchange of fire, the police team finally managed to arrest him. From the house, police also recovered modern automatic weapons, hundreds of bullets, laptops and other equipment, revealing his involvement in large-scale operations related to call centers. It was later revealed that Amir was murdered. Armaghan has been accused of murdering Amir and burning his body in a car in the Hub area of Balochistan.