- Prime suspect confesses to torturing, burning Mustafa alive.
- Police recover iron rod used in assault from suspect’s bungalow.
- Armaghan linked to fraudulent call centre and illegal weapons.
KARACHI: Police have made major breakthroughs in the Mustafa abduction and murder case, recovering the murder weapon and securing a chilling confession from key suspect, Armaghan.
According to investigation officials, the prime suspect, who is currently with police in physical remand, has revealed harrowing details of how he brutally tortured and later burned Mustafa alive.
During interrogation, Armaghan said that on January 6 he called the victim and Shiraz Bukhari — the other suspect alias Shavez — to his bungalow, where he launched a vicious assault on Mustafa, using an iron rod to beat him for two hours.
Investigators confirmed that the rod was later recovered from the guard room of Armaghan’s house in Defence’s Khayaban-e-Momin. They said that Mustafa sustained severe injuries, with heavy bleeding from the head and knees.
Following are the details of Armaghan’s confession.
The prime suspect admitted that he was intoxicated at the time of the assault. He revealed that Shiraz, his accomplice, attempted to stop him when Mustafa started bleeding excessively. However, after the brutal beating, both suspects loaded Mustafa into his own vehicle and drove towards Hub.
Upon reaching Hub, Armaghan opened the car’s boot and discovered that Mustafa was still alive. He then doused him and the car in petrol and mockingly challenged him to escape, knowing that his severe knee injuries had rendered him immobile. Despite Mustafa’s feeble attempts to move, he was unable to flee. The suspect confessed that he then set Mustafa on fire.
Armaghan also disclosed that immediately after igniting the flames, Shiraz urged him to flee the scene. The two suspects then made their way back to Karachi by hitchhiking in different vehicles.
Following Armaghan’s confession, Karachi police raided his bungalow and retrieved the iron rod used in the assault.
The investigation continues as law enforcement officials prepare to present Armaghan before the trial court after completion of the physical remand, which ends tomorrow (Friday).
As the probe is underway, the police and investigation authorities have said that Armaghan’s monthly income couldn’t be ascertained yet. It may be noted that the police had found a call centre established within the bungalow, numerous laptops, security cameras, motion detectors, walkthrough gates and illegal weapons, during the raid. Meanwhile, reports of Armaghan possessing more than 40 security guards had also surfaced.
The investigations revealed that the prime suspect had been running an outbound call centre to defraud people in the United States by offering them domestic services and stealing their money through the fraudulent business.
However, the total amount of money, whether in tens of millions or more, he had been making through the call centre, couldn’t be ascertained as yet.
The investigations further revealed that Armaghan had already been booked in at least six cases, including offences of violence and the Anti-Terrorism Act. After the confession and recovery of illegal weapons, new cases will be registered against the key suspect.
The case
The case is linked to the alleged kidnapping and murder of a BBA student, Mustafa, who had gone missing last month.
However, the case came to light after the prime suspect 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 DHA earlier this month.
The police arrested him, however, Mustafa’s whereabouts couldn’t be traced until last week when the authorities revealed that charred mortal remains — presumably his — had been found in a car near the Hub checkpost days after the youngster’s disappearance.
The victim’s body was then buried by the Edhi Foundation, whereas the court has allowed its exhumation for identification and forensics and has directed the Sindh Secretary Health to constitute a medical board for the exhumation and submit a report within seven days.
Following the court’s order issued on Monday, a three-member medical board has been formed to exhume the deceased’s body on February 21 at 9am.
The medical board, led by Police Surgeon Dr Summaya Syed, also includes Additional Police Surgeon Dr Srichand and MLO Dr Kamran.
Other than Armughan, the police have also arrested and recorded Shiraz’s statement in the case, with investigation officials saying that he worked for Armughan and was involved in allegedly planning both the murder and the disposal of the body.
