Two suspects remanded in gold medallist Itteqa Moin’s murder case

A judicial magistrate on Wednesday remanded two suspects in police custody in a case pertaining to the murder of a gold medallist engineer, who was shot dead by robbers in Gulshn-e-Iqbal.

Twenty-seven-year-old Itteqa Moin, a mechanical engiener and Hafiz Quran, was killed on June 1 by muggers, who took away his motorcycle, cell phone and other valuables. The incident sparked widespread outrage among opposition political parties and public, who slammed the provincial government and law enforcement agencies for failing to rein in street crime in the metropolis.

Acting swiftly, the police arrested two suspects during a raid in Quetta.

On Wednesday, the investigating officer of the Gulshan-e-Iqbal police produced the detained suspects -- Naved Ahmed and Zahir Ali -- before the judicial magistrate (East) and requested their 14-day remand in police custody for investigation and completion of legal formalities.

He stated that the suspects had admitted to their involvement in the commissioning of the offence. They are to be interrogated about the snatched motorcycle of the victim, which was yet to be recovered, he added.

The investigating officer stated that the identification parade of the suspects would be held in the presence of the magistrate, for which their custody was required. He added that the detained suspects had prior criminal records as they had been to jail previously.

However, the judicial magistrate handed over the suspects to the police until Saturday with a direction to the IO to produce him on the completion of his remand.

A case has been lodged at the Gulshan-e-Iqbal police station under sections 302 (premeditated murder), 397 (robbery or dacoity) and 34 (common intention) of the Pakistan Penal Code on the complaint of the victim’s brother Usman Moin.

Taking notice of the incident, Sindh Home Minister Ziaul Hassan Lanjar had suspended the Gulshan-e-Iqbal Police station house officer (SHO) and ordered a departmental inquiry against him.

Moin’s death also drew reactions from politicians, who lamented the lawlessness and failure of police in maintaining law and order in the metropolis.