Police claim to have retrieved the mobile phones belonging to suspect Zahir Jaffer and Noor Mukaddam, the woman he is accused of beheading on July 20 in Islamabad.

Investigating Officer Inspector Abdul Sattar confirmed to Dawn that the mobile phones had been recovered from Zahir Jaffer’s residence along with other evidence.

Dawn newspaper, however, also quoted an officer close to the case, who asked not to be named, that they were able to retrieve the phones after interrogating Zahir Jaffer.

The court magistrate had extended Jaffer's physical remand on Monday by two days to allow the police to locate the mobile phones.

The police found the phones in a room next to the one where Noor was murdered, according to the officer, who said they were hidden in different cupboards and switched off.

The recovery is an important development as it should help investigators establish a timeline of phone calls made during the incident.

Some of the material counts as evidence and will be used against Zahir Jaffer during the trial, said the policeman.

Replying to a question, the police officer said the accused had been playing tricks and kept changing his statements, but from Monday evening a change in his behaviour was seen.

Zahir will next be presented before the magistrate to record his statement under CrPC 164. He is said to have confessed to Noor's murder to the police but it holds no legal validity unless he does the same in the presence of the magistrate.

Following their production in court on Tuesday, Jaffer's parents and household staff were sent to Adiala jail on judicial remand on Tuesday.

Their lawyer has presented bail applications for them.