Iron rod used for assaulting Mustafa Amir finally found

A significant breakthrough has been made in the Mustafa Amir murder case, as the Anti-Violent Crime Cell (AVCC) has recovered the weapon used for assaulting the victim.

Police said they have recovered a black-and-silver American iron folding rod. “We recovered this iron folding rod from the Hub area in Balochistan,” confirmed an officer privy to the investigation while speaking to The News.

The officer revealed that Armaghan led the police to the location where he had hidden the rod. He said Armaghan had concealed the weapon in the bushes before setting Amir’s car on fire.

“We retrieved the rod during the night between Saturday and Sunday,” he added. He also mentioned that co-accused Shiraz has confirmed that the same rod was used in the crime.

Police consider this recovery a major breakthrough that would significantly strengthen the case against Armaghan and help secure his conviction. The officer disclosed that Armaghan is no longer as defiant as before. “He now realises that he is completely trapped, and abandoned, even by his own father.”

The AVCC had earlier conducted a search operation at Armaghan’s house based on his identification. During the raid, police recovered an iron folding rod and several other sticks. However, none of them had been used to assault Amir.

It is worth mentioning here that Shiraz had earlier made startling revelations during his interrogation, shedding light on the January 6 incident in which Amir was brutally killed.

According to Shiraz’s interrogation report, on the day of the murder Armaghan called him to his house before Amir’s arrival. Around half an hour after Shiraz reached the house, Amir arrived and handed over a packet of weed to Armaghan in exchange for cash.

The three of them then smoked weed together. However, events took a violent turn when Armaghan suddenly picked up an iron folding rod and started assaulting Amir.

After suffering two or three blows, Amir managed to snatch the rod from Armaghan, following which Armaghan got a rifle and fired shots around Amir to intimidate him. Armaghan then regained control of the rod and continued to beat Amir at intervals.

Later, Armaghan and Shiraz stuffed Amir into the trunk of his own car and drove it to Balochistan, where they torched the car with Amir in it, attempting to destroy evidence.

Investigators believe Shiraz’s confession strengthens the case against Armaghan, increasing the chances of a conviction. Police are now working to corroborate this statement with forensic evidence and further investigations.

This past Friday a sub-committee of the National Assembly’s Standing Committee on Interior reviewed the progress in the high-profile case, expressing concerns over the slow pace of investigation.

The meeting held at the Central Police Office focused on receiving a briefing from the Sindh police, the Federal Investigation Agency and the Anti-Narcotics Force regarding the murder investigation and associated criminal activities, including alleged money laundering and drug smuggling.

Amir, 23, went missing from the DHA area on January 6 after leaving home to meet his friend Armaghan. The case gained widespread attention on February 8, when police raided Armaghan’s house in an attempt to recover Amir.

The operation resulted in a four-hour-long stand-off, during which AVCC DSP Ahsan Zulfiqar and a police constable suffered injuries. Armaghan was eventually arrested, and police recovered sophisticated weapons, laptops and other equipment, leading investigators to suspect links to a call centre operation, money laundering and virtual currency dealings.

The investigation took another turn when a renowned actor’s son, Sahir Hassan, was arrested from DHA with weed. During police custody, Hassan reportedly made revelations that added new dimensions to the investigation.