An anti-terrorism court in Karachi extended the remand of the Mustafa murder case’s prime suspect, Armaghan, by seven days on Tuesday.

Police had sought an extension of the accused’s remand.

Journalists faced restrictions as police barred entry to the court, citing a lack of administrative permission. Once the hearing began, the court inquired about Armaghan’s status, and the investigating officer confirmed his presence.

The officer also updated the court on the progress of the investigation, saying that the weapon used in the crime and the DVR had been recovered.

Defence attorney Abid Zaman challenged the claim, stating that both the weapon (a stick) and the DVR had already been publicly disclosed in the media.

The presiding judge admitted he was unaware of such developments and emphasized the importance of proper evidence handling, asking if the recovered items had been sealed, to which the officer confirmed they had.

When questioned about any police torture, Armaghan replied, “I cannot shake my head,” and expressed his desire to avoid further police custody.

The prosecutor argued for additional remand time to recover data from the accused’s laptop and mobile phone, while the defence contended that the investigation was complete and further remand was unwarranted.

After hearing arguments from both sides, the court granted a seven-day extension of Armaghan’s remand and ordered the police to submit a progress report at the next hearing.

The court acknowledged requests from attorneys Abid Zaman and Sarah Asim Khan to present a provisional challan for the case and allowed the accused’s parents a five-minute meeting.

What do we know so far about the Mustafa murder case?

The Mustafa murder case is one of the top stories on news channels nowadays. It is a case of the kidnapping and killing of a 23-year-old Karachi resident.

One has to be careful while reporting such news as the choice of words, style of presentation, and thumbnails on YouTube videos often build opinions even before the court announces its judgement in the case. So, in this case, it is of great importance to gather all the available information with background and listen to all versions of the story to report it.

The following text is sourced from the police investigation and interrogation reports, court decisions, and people related to the Mustafa murder case.

Mustafa Amir, a DHA resident, was allegedly abducted on January 6, but the case made headlines when the Sindh policemen addressed a press conference next month. Six days later, the Balochistan Police recovered a charred body in a torched car and handed it over to the Edhi Foundation.

In a media talk on February 14, police claimed that his friends killed the kidnapped youth. They allegedly stuffed the body in the trunk of his car and torched it in Balochistan’s Dureji area. Police also claimed to have arrested the prime suspect’s friend, Sheraz aka Shavez Bukhari. It was Sheraz who disclosed the information during the investigation.

The prime suspect, Armaghan was arrested during a raid of a bungalow in DHA following a ransom call to the family. Suspects allegedly demanded Rs20 million from the victim’s family. Sources within the police say the gun battle with the suspect continued for four hours.

They took laptops from the house, and blood samples were found on a carpet in a room. As the case unfolded, investigators claimed that the conflict between the two started because of a woman. The victim’s mother also [accused the same girl of killing her son in a video statement][4]. She claimed that the woman fled to the United States after the incident.

On February 15, an anti-terrorism court in Karachi sent [Shiraz to police custody][5] on physical remand till February 21. Police failed to get physical remand of the prime suspect, drawing officials’ ire. A legal expert clarified that the criticism against the court for not granting a physical remand was not appropriate as the police did not seek a physical remand in the first information report related to the case.

He [told Aaj News’ programme Dus][6] that the case would come under the jurisdiction of the ATC after the addition of Section 7 of the Anti-Terrorism Act (punishment for acts of terrorism) to the FIR.

On the same day, three police officers were [suspended from their duty][7] for their apparent negligence in the case.

The prime suspect was a [“habitual offender,” police records showed][8]. Complaints against him alleged that he was involved in extortion, kidnapping, drug dealing, and illegal possession of weapons.

When an Aaj News correspondent [visited the suspect’s house][9], he saw that there was a high-tech facility in the house which was apparently used as a “software house.” Moreover, Kamran Qureshi, the suspect’s father, [defended his son’s gun battle with the police][10] and denied accusations. He accused the victim of selling drugs to his son and [blamed a “police officer” for the “entire conspiracy.”][11]

On February 17, a judicial magistrate [approved][12] a request for the exhumation of Mustafa’s body. Later, a three-member medical panel was formed by the judicial magistrate (West).

The next day, an ATC in Karachi [sent the prime suspect to police custody on a four-day remand][13] and sought a medical report.

An interrogation report claimed that the victim and the prime suspect were [childhood friends.][14] It was a reiteration of the account Shiraz had told police about the incident.

On February 20, Armaghan allegedly confessed to killing the victim as the chilling details of the report claimed that he offered the victim a “chance to escape before setting him on fire.” The charred vehicle in which Mustafa was allegedly burnt to death was present in Balochistan’s Durerji, [Aaj News saw][15].

When Qureshi [appeared on Imran Sultan’s show Dus,][16] he claimed to have substantial evidence and advised to close the case or else “big names” would come to the limelight.

“I want to be the chief investigation officer of my child. I have plenty of evidence. I am a law graduate and hold a firearm licence,” he said while appearing on the show on February 21, 2025.

On February 22, an ATC [extended the physical remand of suspects Armaghan and Sheraz by five days.][17] The investigating officer claimed that two blood samples from the suspect’s house were [collected and one of the blood samples][18] was linked to a girl identified as ***a. He also informed the court about the money laundering allegations against the suspect

Furthermore, four persons, including a TV actor’s son, were arrested on Saturday. One of the suspects [claimed to have sold drugs to Mustafa][19], according to sources within police.

Sources within the police said [initial DNA testing of the samples][20] taken from the body “confirmed that the person burned alive in Balochistan’s Dureji was indeed Mustafa Amir.”

Shiraz, was [presented][21] before the court to record his confessional statement under Section 164 on March 2 and investigators have also [uncovered][19] that the accused is linked to 11 other criminal cases.

The suspect, Shiraz, [told the court on March 3][21] that he was being pressured to confess. “I was told that if I confessed, my sentence would be reduced,” he claimed.

Late, an ATC in Karachi [extended the physical remand][20] of the prime suspect by six days and sent another suspect, Shiraz, to jail on judicial remand.

But reports said that Armaghan was receiving [“special treatment” in police custody][22]. A purported leaked audio recording allegedly features Asif Jamil Qureshi, the establishment in charge of the DIG CIA, had surfaced.

A National Assembly Standing Committee’s subcommittee also [directed][23] law enforcement agencies to compile a report on the case, detailing key investigative findings and a strategic course of action for the next session.

Moreover, SSP Investigation Shoaib Memon told Samaa TV that one of the suspects in the Mustafa murder case, Sahir Hasan, [had taken drugs since the age of eight][24].

The prime suspect [allegedly owned][25] two additional companies and a call centre.