Dr Maha’s body to be exhumed for another autopsy

Police officials investigating the death by suicide of Dr Maha have decided that her body will be exhumed so that another post-mortem examination can be conducted.

The reason for the exhumation, according to the investigators, is to look into the drug, rape and other allegations made by the deceased doctor’s father, who has also raised doubts about the initial autopsy report.

Police said they will write to the court for permission, following which a team of medical professionals and law enforcers will travel to Mirpurkhas, where Dr Maha is buried, for the exhumation.

Talking to The News on Tuesday, South Zone DIG Javed Akbar Riaz confirmed that the police have decided on the exhumation of the doctor’s body, saying that the reason behind it is to clear all the doubts.

“We’ll exhume the body to conduct a fresh and authentic autopsy because only after the exhumation will we find out if the allegations are true. The fresh medical report will help the investigators in the trial of the arrested suspects.”

The officer said the police are using all available resources to trace the culprits, especially those involved in supplying drugs in upmarket areas of Karachi. Three suspects have been arrested so far and the investigation is still under way, he added.

“We’ll ensure that justice is done and the investigation is completed purely on merit, taking into consideration all the aspects of the case,” said the DIG.

Further examination of the death scene revealed that Dr Maha was shot in the head with the right hand, but it was reported that the medico-legal officer (MLO) at the Jinnah Postgraduate Medical Centre released the medical report of her death without conducting a post-mortem examination.

Dr Hassan Ahmed’s medical report read that the bullet was fired from the left side, but the death scene suggested that the bullet was fired from the right side. On Monday Dr Maha’s father Syed Asif Ali Shah told a news conference that he doubted the veracity of the medical report, claiming that the MLO was in cahoots with the suspects. Shah said the differences in the medical report and the ground evidence cast doubts on suicide.

He claimed that two of the three prime suspects influenced the investigation into his daughter’s death. He said Khan and Hassan worked with the doctors to have the MLO changed after his daughter’s body was sent to the hospital.

“Why did my daughter commit suicide? It was being claimed that Dr Maha was upset with her parents,” he said, adding that he worked hard to ensure his daughter got a good education. “The first to reach the hospital was Waqas [Hassan], who identified himself as a technician. Then Junaid [Khan] arrived. Waqas and Junaid, in collusion with the doctors, had the MLO replaced.”

Suspect granted bail

A judicial magistrate on Tuesday discharged suspect Dr Irfan Qureshi until the filing of the final investigation report in the Dr Maha death case, adds our correspondent. She had allegedly committed suicide by shooting herself at her DHA residence on August 19.

The police booked her friends — including Junaid Khan, Waqas Hassan and Dr Qureshi — on the complaint of her father. The case is registered under sections 334 (dismemberment), 337-J (poisoning), 506 (criminal intimidation) and 34 (common intention) of the Pakistan

Penal Code.

The District South magistrate discharged Dr Qureshi against the furnishing of a surety of Rs500,000, but clarified that the discharge might not be treated as an acquittal because the final investigation report in the case was yet to be filed. The investigating officer informed the court that two other suspects — Khan and Hassan — were still absconding, and requested for time to complete the investigation because the suspects at large were yet to be tracked down.