Two suspects told to undergo DNA tests in Dr Maha death case

A sessions court on Saturday granted police five more days to submit the final investigation report in Dr Maha Ali Shah death case and also ordered the suspects to have their DNA tests completed.

The investigation officer (IO) moved an application before the additional district and sessions judge South seeking directions for the suspects, Junaid Khan and Waqas Khan, to cooperate with police.

He said that despite repeated instructions, the suspects did not appear for DNA tests that were needed to prepare the charge sheet as the suspicion had arisen during the investigations that the victim was being raped before her death.

On August 18, 2020, a young doctor, Maha, had reportedly committed suicide by shooting herself inside her house in Defence Housing Authority (DHA).

The doctor’s father, Asif Ali Shah, told police that Maha had locked herself in a bathroom on the upper floor of their house in DHA Phase IV and shot herself in the head at around 11pm.

She was rushed to a hospital where she succumbed to her injury during treatment.

According to her post-mortem examination report, the bullet had entered her head from the left side and exited from the right.

The IO on a previous hearing had filed a preliminary charge sheet against three suspects, including her ex-boyfriend Junaid and two other friends Tabish Yasin and Saad Nasir.

However, the police did not charge Waqas and another suspect Irfan Qureshi, both said to be her friends, for lack of evidence.

According to the charge sheet, Junaid, who is currently on bail, used to torture her mentally and physically due to which she had been suffering from severe anguish and had tried to end her life before as well.

The charge sheet added that she finally killed herself with a 9mm pistol that she obtained from Yasin. During the investigation, it transpired that the weapon was on the licence of Nasir who told police that he had sold it to Yasin.

Both of them are in jail in judicial custody.

The IO later told the court that the investigations into the case had given rise to the suspicion that the young doctor might have been subjected to rape due to which she ended her life.

He added that to ascertain this, the DNA tests of Junaid and Waqas were needed.

On Saturday, he moved an application in the court seeking extension in time to submit the final charge sheet. He said that the tests could not be performed because the suspects were not appearing despite being summoned several times.

He asked the court to pass directions to the suspects to cooperate in the investigation. The judge approved the request and ordered Junaid and Waqas to appear for their DNA tests. The next hearing has been scheduled for February 10.