The central police of Balochistan have demoted DSP Noor Muhammad Barech to the rank of inspector of police after the department disposed of the inquiry into the Barkhan murder mystery.

“Considering his verbal explanation, documentary evidence and conclusion of the inquiry officer, he is hereby awarded major penalty of reduction in rank from DSP to IP,” said a final order from the Balochistan police. “He is hereby reinstated in service from the date of suspension.”

The Barkhan murder case is a tale of a triple homicide in Balochistan that was initially a hostage crisis but turned into a murder mystery in less than a week in February.

The inquiry committee recommended three punishments:

• Barech, who was suspended, may be awarded a major punishment for his “gross negligence” to deal with the incident according to legal procedure.

• Separate departmental proceedings against SDPO and SHO concerned.

• Loralai DIG may be given a letter of advice for being oblivious to his professional duties

The inquiry committee found DSP Barech’s reply on May 31 as “unsatisfactory” and therefore he was served a show cause notice. He was again heard on June 15.

Findings

• If Barkhan SP and Loralai DIG had registered the FIR instantly for which they were duty-bound, the loss of three lives could have been avoided.

• When the bodies of the deceased were recovered, the local police even then avoided registering the case against the accused. Though the cause of the death deceased was well established and bullet injuries were visible, the local police started proceedings under Section 174 of CrPC instead of FIR.

• Post-mortem examination was not conducted instantly after the recovery of bodies.

The incident

The Barkhan murder mystery made the headlines after the incident of three bodies found in a well in Barkhan took the internet by storm.

A man named Khan Mohammad aka Ismail Marri had identified the bodies. They are his wife and two sons, who he said were being held by provincial minister Abdur Rehman Khetran at his private jail.

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Hundreds of people from the Marri tribe staged a sit-in in the neighbouring district of Kohlu on February 22, 2023. Marri said his five more children, including a teenage daughter, remain incarcerated at the same private jail.

“During the intervening night of February 20 and 21, on information police reached Haji Kot Arazi Shah Faisal, District Barkhan and recovered three bodies from a well and shifted them to civil hospital Barkhan,” said the report.

The bodies were presumed to be the family of Marri

• Unknown female age 40/45 years
• Muhammad Nawaz 20/25 years
• Abdul Qadir 15/20 age

The family was rescued by the Levies.

Oddly, though, two of his sons were recovered from Kohlu, two from Dera Bugti, and a son and daughter from Dukki. They were kept at Marri tribesmen’s homes. As per initial reports, Marri maintained that the bodies from the well were also his children.

The protesting Marri tribesmen had demanded that an FIR be registered and arrests are conducted.