KARACHI: Shocking details of the Mustafa Amir murder case have surfaced in an investigation report, shedding light on the horrifying brutality inflicted upon the victim.
The report, obtained by Geo News, outlines how prime suspect Armaghan Qureshi allegedly bound Mustafa’s hands and feet, dragged him down the stairs from the first floor of his residence, and transported him in the trunk of his own car to Hub, where he was set on fire.
The case relates to victim’s, a BBA student, alleged kidnapping and murder after going missing on January 6. The whole saga unfolded after Armaghan opened fire at a team of the Anti-Violent Crime Cell (AVCC) — a specialised unit of the Karachi police responsible for tackling cases related to murder and extortion — during a raid at his residence in Karachi’s DHA on February 8.
The deceased’s body — found by police in a car near the Hub checkpost on January 12 and buried by the Edhi Foundation on January 16 — was exhumed and later buried by his family following the identity confirmation in the initial DNA report.
With, Armaghan — who is in police custody along with other suspect Shiraz Bukhari — also suspected of being involved in money laundering and cyber crimes, the Crime Investigation Agency (CIA) has handed over the laptops seized during the raid have been handed over to the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) along with the key suspect’s mobile phones.
Meanwhile, authorities have also accused him of using earnings from his illegal call centre — obtained via fraudulent means — to buy cryptocurrency.
Murder, escape to Islamabad
Confirming the police’s earlier claim that Armaghan had tortured a girl prior to Mustafa’s alleged murder, the investigation report says that a girl had visited his house prior to the New Year’s Eve party — not attended by the victim — arranged at the said residence by the key suspect.
The interaction, however, turned sour and the girl left the house. The next day Mustafa and Armaghan engaged in a fight over personal reasons.
Armaghan then invited the girl and his childhood friend Shiraz to his residence on January 5 and subjected the former to torture via an iron rod.
The suspect, adds the report, then arranged an online cab for the girl while directing her to get the necessary treatment — for her injuries. He also threatened the girl by showing her a bullet against taking legal action.
Mustafa then visited Armaghan’s residence on January 6 — the same day he went missing — at 9pm.
With the two getting involved in a heated exchange, Armaghan then hit the victim with an iron rod and dragged him down the stairs with his hands and feet tied — after injuring him.
The victim was then taken to Hub after being put in the trunk of his own car — parked at the bungalow.
Armaghan, as per the probe report, also took a petrol tank from the bungalow as Mustafa’s car had no petrol and later used it to torch Mustafa’s vehicle and him after reaching Hub at 4:30am.
The suspect, accompanied by Shriaz, threw away the victim’s mobile phone and other belongings during the commute.
After setting fire to the vehicle they both left for Karachi from Hub on foot and even stopped for breakfast at a hotel only to leave it after the owner saw Armaghan in possession of a weapon.
The two, after walking for two to three hours hitchhiked via several vehicles and eventually reached Karachi.
Furthermore, when confronted by Mustafa’s mother, both Armaghan and Shiraz went to Islamabad and returned to Karachi — three days before the police’s raid — using one of the former’s vehicles in the federal capital.
Criminal record
Additionally, the list of cases registered against Armaghan obtained by Geo News has revealed that the suspect holds a criminal record with as many as 11 cases registered against him — of which he had settled two of them.
In 2019, a case was registered against him at Sahil Police Station for threatening a citizen, but he was later acquitted after a comprise was reached between the parties.
Armaghan also faces a case registered at the Darakhshan Police Station for issuing death threats and aerial firing, whereas another case was registered at the Gizri Police Station involving alleged assault and deceiving a citizen over a car sale dispute.
A case was also filed at the Darakhshan Police Station for firing at a tanker and bursting its tyres. However, he was acquitted after reaching a settlement with the complainant.
The suspect is also accused of threatening a lawyer, a case registered at the Boat Basin Police Station and he has been declared a proclaimed offender in the said case.
Furthermore, Armaghan also faces a case at the Darakhshan Police Station for allegedly kidnapping Mustafa.
A case relating to a police encounter and attempted murder has been registered against him at the AVCC Police Station along with the case pertaining to alleged possession of illegal weapons.
Additionally, the suspect also faces two cases regarding alleged illegal possession of attempted trud trafficking using courier services.
Court sources say that the record of cases registered against the accused will be submitted before the court on March 15.
‘Pressure to confess’
Separately, during the hearing of Mustafa’s murder case, Shiraz, who is Armaghan’s friend and is also a suspect, claimed that he was being pressurised to confess.
“I have been told that if I would get lesser sentence if I confesses,” Shiraz said while noting that he was an eye witness of Mustafa’s murder and that Armaghan murdered him in front of him
“I could not do anything,” he added.
Meanwhile, the court while the investigation officer’s (IO) request for recording Shiraz’s confession directed the police to produce him before the relevant anti-terrorism court.
