IO advised to probe Armaghan’s links with banned outfits, criminal gangs

A special public prosecutor tasked to supervise the investigation in the Mustafa Amir kidnap and murder case has advised the investigating officer to interrogate prime suspect Armaghan’s father and coordinate with intelligence agencies to investigate the suspect’s possible links with banned organisations and criminal gangs.

Zulfiqar Ali Arain wrote a letter to IO Muhammad Ali, stipulating guidelines to ensure a proper investigation into the Mustafa Amir murder case, as well as three other cases pertaining to a police encounter and the recovery of illicit arms.

In the letter, the prosecutor advised the IO to collect the mobile phones of both the caller and the recipient of the extortion call and make them part of the case property. He said the IO needed to send all recovered “case property/unlawful articles” to the relevant departments for forensic analysis without any delay and excuse, warning that failure to do so could damage the prosecution case.

Arain instructed the IO to further interrogate Armaghan, and his father and others. He said that the recovered illicit arms and ammunition, 64 laptops, three walkie-talkie sets, digital safe lockers, and other items might be linked to terror financing, terrorism, money laundering, illegal business activities, drug trafficking, immoral activities, and banned organisations.

“The accused persons may be linked with ban[ned] organisations/gang/criminals’ groups or worked against the State, so intimate and coordinate with intelligence/paramilitary agencies,” he said.

He questioned the police’s silence about the encounter and other linked cases against Armaghan, calling for action as per the police rules and criminal procedure code. The prosecutor further advised the IO to record statements of all relevant persons and prosecution witnesses without contradiction and delay so the prosecution case is not damaged.

He instructed the police officer to take proper photographs of the crime scene and case property using forensic toolkits, CCTV footage, DVRs, USB devices, and relevant social media news, both print and digital.

The IO was further advised to establish the chain of events and evidence through eyewitness accounts, legal heirs, and the complainant and mention the role and motive of each suspect. He was further asked to interrogate all friends of Armaghan and the deceased, Mustafa, who had gathered at Armaghan’s house on New Year’s Eve and later till his arrest. He instructed the IO to collect CCTV footage, DVR records, call detail records (CDR), CNIC details, bankaccount information, mobile phones, travel history, and business details of all relevant individuals, including the suspects and the deceased, Mustafa.

The prosecutor noted that the IO had not submitted a progress report on a daily basis since Armaghan was remanded in police custody following a Sindh High Court’s order on a criminal revision application filed by the prosecutor general of Sindh.

He further instructed the IO to coordinate with the head of DHA security, the owner of the house, and local intelligence officials of Gizri and Darakhshan police stations to seek information about actions taken by them when unlawful activities were being carried out at the rented house of Armaghan.