An anti-terrorism court-II in Karachi sent on Tuesday the prime suspect, Armaghan, in the Mustafa murder case to police custody on four-day remand.

The court has also ordered that the progress of the case and the medical report be presented at the next hearing.

Earlier, the Sindh High Court nullified the ATC-I’s decision that previously allowed jail custody which meant he would be produced in the ATC-II.

It was mentioned in the SHC’s reserved order. SHC judge Justice Zafar Ahmed Rajput heard the case regarding the prosecution’s request against the denial of physical remand for the accused in the case.

Amir, a Karachi resident, went missing on January 6, according to the police. His charred body was found in a car in Balochistan, they told reporters in a press conference on Friday.

Police added that they got to know about the death after a suspect made a shocking confession to them during the investigation.

As the story unfolded, investigators said on Saturday that the conflict leading to the missing person’s death arose from a dispute involving a girl.

Last week, legal expert Abid Zaman while appearing on the Aaj News programme Dus clarified that the police did not seek physical remand in the first information report related to the Mustafa murder case.

Suspect appears in court

The case’s prime suspect was due in the high court with “proper security along with the case record.” Police presented him in the court under tight security, handcuffed and with his face covered. His father, Kamran Qureshi, was also present in the courtroom.

Upon entering the court, his father Kamran Qureshi looked at his son and said: “You don’t look well at all.” Armaghan nodded in agreement.

Qureshi brought fruits for his son and expressed his concerns, stating, “My son is being mistreated; I brought these fruits for him.” The additional prosecutor general of Sindh and relevant parties involved in the case also attended the hearing.

The court inquired about the custody status. To this, Armaghan appeared in the court.

After this, Additional Prosecutor General of Sindh Muhammad Iqbal Awan read the first information report aloud. He said that the victim, Mustafa Amir, was abducted on January 6 and the case was initially registered against unidentified suspects.

A police officer from the Darakhshan Police Station recorded the statement of Mustafa’s mother and after a ransom call on January 13, the case was transferred to the Anti-Violent Crime Cell (AVCC).

The additional prosecutor general also mentioned that one of the abducted person’s mobile phones was recovered from the accused.

The court asked when the accused had previously been a “fugitive.” In response, the additional prosecutor general said that the Criminal Record Office (CRO) documents showed that there were five registered cases against the accused, who is a “fugitive in an extortion case at the Boat Basin Police Station.”

Was the suspect tortured after arrest?

At one point in the case, the court inquired about the basis for the rejection of the police custody request. It asked whether any violence had occurred, to which the accused claimed that he had been tortured.

The court demanded to see the evidence of the alleged torture, instructing the accused to remove his shirt for inspection. When his shirt was taken off, the additional prosecutor general stated that there were no signs of torture present.

The court remarked that if there had been a complaint of torture, a medical check-up should have been ordered.

The additional prosecutor general emphasised that remand was the prosecution’s right and questioned whether the accused had complained of pain while in jail or requested medical treatment or examination.

In response, Armaghan said: “I was in shock.”

The court expressed concerns regarding the handling of the custody order, noting that it appeared to be entirely typed with a “whito” stamp affixed. Justice Rajput remarked that the order had been altered by hand as the document showed “police” written.

The additional prosecutor general stated: “The suspect’s father was present in the judge’s chamber and I swear to that.”

Meanwhile, officials from the Home Department clarified that they had obtained the record from the court. They mentioned that the registrar’s position was vacant, as the person in charge was on a pilgrimage.

To this, the court stated that “do not discuss matters that are not included in your application.”

The court reserved its decision on the police remand request.

Later, the Sindh High Court announced its reserved decision and declared the trial court’s ruling null and void.

Following this, the accused was presented for remand in Anti-Terrorism Court (ATC) II.

During the proceedings, the court inquired about the number of FIRs filed against the accused. The prosecution confirmed that there are four cases against him.

When asked by the court to state his name, the accused replied, “My name is Armaghan, and my father’s name is Kamran.”

The court then asked whether he had been in jail since the 10th of the month, to which the accused confirmed, “Yes, I have been in jail since the 10th.”

The court further inquired if he had been tortured, to which Armaghan tearfully responded, “Yes, I have been severely beaten.”

The government lawyer requested a physical remand to further investigate the case, and the court asked if the body, vehicle, and weapons had been recovered.

In the midst of the questioning, the accused collapsed in the courtroom and lost consciousness. He was promptly laid on a bench in the court.

Armaghan’s lawyer requested that a medical examination be conducted, citing his deteriorating condition.

The court, visibly frustrated with the investigation officer, remarked that the medical examination should have been done on the first day.

The officer explained that they required a nine-day physical remand to complete the investigation.

The prosecutor general said that the accused is perfectly fine and walked into the courtroom on his own. There was no sign of unconsciousness or anything like that.

However, the court granted the police a four-day remand.

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Suspect denies killing victim

Accused Armaghan denied any involvement in the murder of Mustafa Amir. “I did not kill Mustafa; I am being framed,” the suspect, whose face was covered in a black mask, told reporters when police brought him to the court.

When a reporter asked him why he fired at the police during the arrest, he said: “They were robbing my house.”

The suspect also “displayed inappropriate” behaviour towards the journalists, reporters covering the case said.