A local court in the federal capital gave police an extension of four days in the remand of Shahnawaz Amir in the murder case of his wife, Sarah Inam, a private TV channel reported.
Additional District and Sessions Judge Amir Aziz presided over hearing and approved extending the remand after police presented him before a court on the expiry of his previous three-day remand. As the hearing commenced, the prosecutor requested the judge to extend Shahnawaz’s remand for another five days. “We have to hold further inquiry into the money that the suspect had been receiving [from the deceased],” the officer told the court. The judge also asked about the number of days the suspect had been in police custody. “He has been in custody for five days now,” the officer responded. The court subsequently extended Shahnawaz’s remand by another four days. During the hearing, lawyer of senior journalist Ayaz Amir, Shahnawaz’s father, asked the judge to direct the police to return his client’s mobile phone.
At this, the investigation officer responded that the prime suspect in the case would often have money transferred to him from his deceased wife, therefore, the phone will be kept for further investigation. After hearing arguments, the judge rejected Ayaz’s plea. “The phone should be returned once the investigation is completed,” the judge remarked.
It is pertinent to mention here that the court had on Tuesday discharged the senior journalist from the charge of abetment in the case. However, the court had advised the police that he may be arrested again if any evidence was found against him, after taking permission from the court.
Police have become a complainant in the case, with the FIR registered on the complaint of Shahzad Town Station House Officer Nawazish Ali Khan. The complaint stated that on September 23, Sameena called police and informed them that Shahnawaz had murdered his wife “with a dumbbell”. “My son is present in the house and has hidden the body,” the FIR quoted Sameena as saying, adding that the police subsequently raided the house. “He had locked himself up in his room. When they broke inside, there were blood stains on Shahnawaz’s hands and clothes,” the police said in the complaint. “He then confessed that he had repeatedly hit his wife with a dumbbell during an argument and then hid her body in the washroom’s bathtub.”
