Final charge sheet implicates four in death of Dr Maha

Police have implicated four suspects – Junaid Khan, Waqas Rizvi, Tabish Yasin and Saad Nasir – for a criminal trial in the death case of Dr Maha Ali Shah.

According to the final charge sheet, Khan and Rizvi have been allegedly found involved in raping the young female doctor and causing disappearance of evidence to evade punishment. Meanwhile, Yasin and Nasir have been accused of unintentionally causing the young physician’s death.

Dr Maha had committed suicide by shooting herself inside her house in Defence Housing Authority on August 18, 2020. Later, her family lodged a police complaint, alleging that she was forced by her friends to commit suicide.

Police mentioned in the charge sheet that Dr Maha’s ex-boyfriend Khan and his friend Rizvi used to mentally and physically torture her due to which she was suffering from severe anguish and had tried to kill herself before as well.

They added that during the investigations, it was found that the victim was subjected to rape as well by the two accused, however, they were not having their DNA tests conducted, despite being issued notices five times.

A supplementary charge sheet will be filed after obtaining the DNA reports of the accused. The report said that a 9mm pistol used in the offence was issued on the license of Nasir who had later illegally sold it to Yasin who later gave it to Dr Maha with which she killed herself.

It added that the victim was addicted to drugs that she procured from peddlers identified as Anmol, alias Pinki, Nasir Baloch, Munir, Saadullah, Jamaat Ali and Bilal. They have been charged separately.

Meanwhile, police have exonerated Dr Ifran Qureshi, another friend of Dr Maha, as no evidence was found against him. The case has been registered under the sections 376 (punishment for rape), 322 (punishment for Qatl bis-Sabab), 201 (causing disappearance of evidence of offence, or giving false information to screen offender) and 34 (common intention) of the Pakistan Penal Code. The charge sheet has been approved by a District South judicial magistrate, presiding over the case, and referred for the trial at the relevant sessions court.