Mustafa Amir killing case: Armaghan trying to mislead police about murder weapon: investigators

KARACHI: Police officers investigating the killing of Mustafa Amir have stated that the weapon used by the perpetrators to attack the youth has yet to be found.

Anti-Violent Crime Cell (AVCC) chief SSP Anil Haider said police had visited Armaghan’s house and confiscated some items, but they had not yet recovered any weapon with confirmed traces of Amir’s blood.

He said the police would revisit Armaghan’s house to continue searching for the weapon. Meanwhile, various rods and sticks found at the location have been confiscated.

SSP Haider stated that the police were following a verification process by cross-checking Armaghan’s statements against those of his servants and co-accused Sheraz. The officer maintained that so far neither Sheraz nor Armaghan’s staff had confirmed that the items presented by Armaghan were actually the murder weapon.

The AVCC chief stated that Armaghan appeared to be deliberately trying to mislead the police by preventing the real weapon from being found and instead presenting unrelated items. This could potentially weaken the case, which he may later use to his advantage in court.

SSP Haider said any item suspected by the police and confirmed by Sheraz or Armaghan’s staff would be sent for forensic analysis.

He also mentioned that during the investigation, Armaghan had not stated whether Amir was alive or dead when he set the car ablaze. The SSP said the prime suspect confessed to setting the car on fire, but stated that he did not see whether Amir was alive or had died when he torched the vehicle.

SSP Haider stated that since day one, a lot of disinformation had been spread regarding this case. He mentioned that both the home minister and Karachi additional IG had also addressed the issue of widespread disinformation regarding this case.

The AVCC chief said that once the body was exhumed and the postmortem conducted, many things would become clear such as whether Amir died as a result of gunshot or a baton attack, or if he was burned alive. “Today, we are going to exhume the body, after which this case will become significantly stronger,” he explained.

He mentioned that three girls had so far been named in connection with the case. However, he added that until those girls were found and their blood samples matched with the blood sample collected as evidence, nothing could be conclusively stated. The investigation could not rely solely on the suspects’ statements, he explained.

Speaking about Amir’s car, SSP Haider said it would be brought from Hub to Karachi following proper procedures, and a forensic examination would be conducted. He added that this process would begin after the body was exhumed.

When asked about the lockers found in Armaghan’s house, the officer revealed that although Armaghan had claimed that they were empty, the police would follow proper procedures to open them and verify their contents.

He said the investigators had found two fake ID cards in possession of Armaghan. Additionally, he mentioned that a possible criminal background of Armaghan’s father was also being checked.

In response to another question, SSP Haider stated that the responsibility of investigating Armaghan’s possible connection with the drug business had been assigned to the Special Investigation Unit (SIU), which had already begun its work.

Furthermore, the police had written a letter to the Federal Investigation Agency regarding Armaghan’s call center operations and his involvement in digital currency.

Meanwhile, Sindh Home Minister Ziaul Hassan Lanjar has assured that the authorities are closely monitoring the investigation into the kidnapping and murder of Amir stating that no negligence would be tolerated.

“I took immediate notice when he went missing,” the minister stated, adding that orders were given to the concerned officials to resolve the case at the earliest. “Regardless of how influential someone may be, justice will be served as per the law,” the home minister asserted. The home minister also warned against spreading false narratives and rumours regarding the case. He added that a letter was being sent to the chief justice of the Sindh High Court regarding irregularities in the Anti-Terrorism Court’s handling of the case. “Legal proceedings will be initiated under the Prevention of Electronic Crimes Act (Peca) against those spreading false information,” Lanjar stated.