Three men charged with inducing Dr Maha Ali Shah’s suicide

Concluding the investigation in the Dr Maha Ali Shah death case, police have charged her former boyfriend and two other men for inducing her to commit suicide.

According to the charge sheet, Dr Maha’s ex-boyfriend Junaid Khan, who is currently out on bail, used to torture her physically and mentally, due to which she had been suffering from severe anguish and had tried to end her life more than once.

She had killed herself with a 9mm pistol that she got from her friend Tabish Yasin. Police found out that the weapon was licensed to Saad Nasir, who told the investigators that he had sold it to Yasin. Both of them are in jail in judicial custody.

The suicide had been reported on August 18. The doctor’s father Asif Ali Shah told the police that Maha had locked herself in the bathroom on the upper floor of their house in DHA Phase IV and shot herself in the head at around 11pm. She had been rushed to the hospital, but she succumbed to the wounds during treatment. According to her post-mortem examination report, the bullet had entered from the left side and exited from the right.

The father had told the police that Maha befriended Junaid through his sister four years ago and then they became close. He claimed that the accused had got his daughter addicted to cocaine and exploited her sexually.

He also claimed that Junaid used to beat her up on her refusal to act on his whims, while once he had even broken her teeth. He said Maha had been trying to get herself out of the abusive relationship, but Junaid would not let her go and would ridicule her on social media among their mutual friends.

The father said that fed up with this, Maha had met a dentist named Dr Irfan Qureshi, who proposed her to get married. He said that when Junaid had found out about this, he started threatening her with dire consequences.

He said Maha had narrated her ordeal to Dr Qureshi, who called her to his home in Clifton, where he made her take cocaine and alcohol in his bar room before trying to engage her in sexual activities, which she refused and left the place in anger.

The complainant said that after returning home, Maha had told her sister that Junaid, Qureshi and Waqas Khan had made her life miserable, and that if any harm were to come to her, these men would be responsible for it. Waqas is said to be a mutual friend of Maha and Junaid.

The evidences

During the investigation, police found voice notes and chats in Maha’s mobile phone that corroborated the allegation that she had been having problems with Junaid.

One of the voice notes that she had sent to a friend was transcribed as: “I saw your message, but at that time Junaid had a severe fight with me and I could not understand anything, so I took Xanax and slept. You know what, I am having seizures. I am affected with epilepsy. I don’t know how it happened. Don’t tell [my sister] that I am talking to Junaid. I told her that we broke up long ago, but this guy has made my life hell. My mind is [messed] up...”

In another chat, Maha had sent a picture of her injured face to a friend, saying: “See, my boyfriend beat me last night. He also broke my teeth. I am exhausted.”

She added that previously, because of Junaid’s abusive behaviour, she had tried to end her life by thinking of jumping off the building (where she lived away from her family), but she could not find a way to the rooftop because the door was locked, so she came back to her room and slept.

Another of her messages read: “Junaid and I had a fight again. I am not really feeling good. I will get mad by crying because of him. In the end, leave it. Today this guy will be my death.”

And another: “How are you? How are things going? I am sorry I disappeared that day. Junaid beat me up again. I was not in a normal state. Things have been so [messed] up.”

Junaid and Waqas both denied the claims when interrogated by the investigating officer. Qureshi also denied the allegation, saying that on the day of the incident, she came to meet him at his clinic in Clifton at around 4pm, but since he was busy in a surgery, he could not meet her and she left at around 7:30pm. He also showed his chat with her.

“Maha: I’ve left. BYEEE / Qureshi: I got stuck with patients / Maha: Yeah, I’m on my way home now / Qureshi: That’s not cool, Maha / Maha: What you did wasn’t cool either. Waited for 4 [...] hours. I kept texting you. Couldn’t bother to reply that you’re busy or ANYTHING. [...] I’m never coming.”

In the light of the evidences collected, police have charged Junaid Khan, Tabish Yasin and Saad Nasir with inducing Dr Maha Ali Shah to end her life. Meanwhile, Dr Irfan Qureshi and Waqas Khan have been left out for lack of evidence against them.

The investigating officer told the court that the people who used to supply cocaine to Maha, including Anmol (alias Pinky), Saad Ullah, Jamaat Ali and Muhammad Bilal, have been charged separately. Drug suppliers Nasir Baloch and Munir are absconding.