No alcohol found in Sharjeel’s blood, bottles recovered from hospital room

The case of the recovery of alcohol from under-trial MPA Sharjeel Memon’s hospital room took a new turn on Monday as chemical analysis reports of the samples collected from him and his room were released.

According to the report of the blood samples collected from Memon, no traces of ethanol (alcohol) was found in his blood, while the report of the chemical analysis of the contents of the two bottles recovered from his room stated that one bottle contained honey and the other contained olive oil, not alcohol.

Earlier on Saturday, the Chief Justice of Pakistan Mian Saqib Nisar had paid a surprise visit to Memon’s hospital room. The Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) MPA and former minister, who is facing corruption references, was being treated at the Ziauddin Hospital in Clifton and his room there had been declared a sub-jail.

The CJP’s staff had reportedly noticed contraband substances in the room. Later, based on a tip-off the police had searched Memon’s room and recovered two bottles of what appeared to be alcohol – a decanter and a bottle of Grey Goose vodka.

Boat Basin police registered an FIR and arrested Memon’s three staffers. Memon’s blood samples were collected and sent to the Aga Khan Laboratory to check for alcohol, while the samples collected from the two bottles were sent to the Chemical Examination department.

Results

On Monday morning, the Judicial Magistrate South accepted the the surety bonds of Memon’s detained staffers – Mohammad Jam, Mushtaq Ali and Shakar Din – who were being held in Central Prison and issued their release orders. They were directed to appear in court on September 15.

Later, the report of Memon’s blood samples was received from Aga Khan Laboratory which stated that alcohol had not been detected in the blood samples. Soon, the chemical examination report of the liquid collected from the two bottles also unveiled that there was no alcohol.

According to police records, “Bottle No-1 was of about 750 millilitres, which contained 250 ml of thick semi-soft brownish liquid having a sweetish smell”, while Bottle No-2 which carried the label of Grey Goose Vodka was about “one litre and contained about 300 ml of light yellowish oily fluid that smelled like olive oil”. The chemical analysis report revealed that Bottle No-1 contained honey and Bottle No-2 contained olive oil.

Investigation continues

The reports seem to have negated all charges made against Memon and his staffers. However, the three-member JIT led by South DIG Javed Alam Odho which was formed by Karachi Police chief Amir Ahmed Shaikh on Sunday to probe the incident has its reservations.

Speaking to The News on the condition of not being named, a member of the JIT said they had gone through the reports, but they would continue to investigate from all angles. He added they would collect the CCTV footages available as well as the details of the people who had visited the hospital and Memon.

The team would also verify the authenticity of the reports and also check who had borrow the bottles and which official or officials took custody of the recovered bottles. He added that they would also check what the officials who submitted the samples for analysis stated in their reports while handing it over and also analyse CCTV footage. “It is early to come to any conclusion as investigations are underway,” he said.