Hunt for clues to Noor Mukadam’s murder: Focus shifts to killer’s father

ISLAMABAD: The father of the alleged killer of Noor Mukadam is said to have made an effort to portray the murder as an accident during a robbery attempt, the latest investigation revealed on Thursday, in a clue that can provide some important leads in this case.

Officials investigating the case have found that Zakir Jaffer sought help from some family friends/acquaintances to report to the police a robbery attempt and a murder that happened at his house in Islamabad.

"I received a call from Zakir Jaffer who said there was a robbery at my house in Islamabad. Dacoits took paintings, precious ornaments, etc. They have beaten my son, Zahir Jaffer. Please help us," a friend of the family told Geo News.

It happened soon after the Noor murder, he revealed, seeking anonymity.

"Zakir again called me soon after the tragedy happened. My son also killed a robber at the Jaffer House. How can we get rid of it [murder] by linking it with the robbery attempt," added the family friend quoting Zakir as saying.

"Zahir lied to his father and did not tell about Noor's murder," revealed the friend.

Soon after these calls, Asmat Jaffer talked to the same family friend, seeking his help to whom they should hire as a counsel to fight this murder as a case of robbery in the court of law, investigators and officials who are familiar with the initial findings said. But the said family friend recused himself, an investigator said.

At least, two family friends and three acquaintances of Jaffer’s family confirmed to Geo News that the parents (Zakir and Asmat) phoned times and again to them during the critical time (6pm to 9:30pm) on the day of the grisly murder, asking for help on how to manipulate this tragedy into a dacoity/robbery incident.

The parents apparently tried to save their son despite the fact that they had earlier expelled him to punish him for drug abuse and erratic behaviour on July 8, 2021, according to another family friend who spoke to Geo News on anonymity.

Investigators further revealed that there was no communication between the father and son since July 8, 2021. After a gap of 12 days, Zahir talked to his father some four hours before the murder happened, investigators who worked on communications said, triggering parents to engage his son and family friends, head of a cybersecurity firm, a security company, acquaintances and some key influential. Parents were in Karachi to celebrate Eid, added the investigators.

Zahir, after speaking to his father for 18 minutes, talked to his mother for 23 minutes after 3:30pm on 20th July, investigators said.

Parents were staying in Clifton, Karachi, that day. Then Zakir Jaffer spoke to his wife Asmat Jaffer and both continued to engage family friends and the alleged killer of Noor Mukadam. According to investigators, Zakir also spoke to a Karachi based friend at 6:16pm and sought his help to look into the issue of the murder that happened at the Jaffer House.

Zakir Jaffer established around two dozen communications during the murder time when he was roaming around Bihar Muslim Cooperative Housing Society in Karachi, according to investigators.

“Zahir Zakir also informed his mother at 6:37pm that some robbers had entered the Jaffer House. They have tortured him and stolen some antique paintings from the house. He called his mother twice for three minutes,” revealed another family friend who was in contact with the parents. “Zahir’s mother [Asmat], after receiving the calls from her son, made three attempts to contact ‘KG’ but her calls went unattended. Then Zahir again called his mother at 6:42pm and this call lasted for five minutes. He told his mother he fought the dacoits and killed one of them,” a family friend quoted Asmat as telling him after the murder. This family friend wanted to remain anonymous too.

This was the time when the parents sought the help of Phoenix Security Pvt. Ltd. at 7:09pm. According to investigators, the murder took place between 6:30pm and 7:30pm on July 20. At least one call was made by Asmat to the head of the Trillium Information Security System at 7:12pm.

Investigators further revealed that parents spoke to 10 times to the head of a security firm between 7pm to 11:30pm soon after the incident, seeking his help to deal with this murder case. “These are absolutely false findings. Whatever folks are saying is incorrect as I have no connection with this [Noor Mukadam] murder,” said the head of this security firm.

Geo News has confirmed the identity of everyone parents spoke to during this period and met/talked to some of them, who said that parents were anticipating that something bad had happened at the family house in the heart of the capital.

Asmat called the Islamabad Police Headquarters at 10:35pm. She spoke to the police for five minutes. It is not known yet what exactly she told the police. Investigators are wondering if this frantic movement and activity meant the parents already knew something terrible was about to happen, then why they failed to avert the tragedy at their house in Islamabad.