ISLAMABAD:
A sessions court in Islamabad extended the physical remand of Zahir Jaffer, accused of brutally killing 27-year-old Noor Mukadam, to three days on Wednesday.
Judicial Magistrate Muhammad Shoaib Akhtar ordered the police to produce the accused before the court on July 31, on expiration of the physical remand.
During the proceedings, the counsel for the government told the court that they had acquired the CCTV footage of the incident.
He told the magistrate that a forensic examination of the footage had to be done in Lahore, for which it was required to take the accused along.
The counsel requested the court to extend the physical remand for three days for the purpose.
On the occasion, the counsel for the accused argued that the forensics could be done through a picture of the suspect.
He further stated that the weapon and the mobile phone had already been recovered from the suspect.
The counsel went on to add that there was no need to extend the physical remand.
Read Zahir involved in torture of girls in past
However, the government ‘s counsel termed it necessary to take the accused along for the forensics.
He cited the Usman Mirza case, stating that accused in that case were also taken to Lahore to ascertain the merits of the footage.
Initially reserving the decision on extending the remand, the court subsequently announced the decision, allowing an extension in the physical remand of the accused for three days.
This was the fourth appearance of the accused in the sessions court.
It was reported a day ago that Zahir had confessed to committing the crime. Sources said the prime suspect had repeatedly changed his reasoning for committing the brutal crime.
Police had found evidence of him torturing Noor on his mobile phone, as well as CCTV footage of the incident.
“In the footage, the girl can be seen trying to escape from the house by jumping from the first floor and rushing towards the main gate,†the sources added.
The victim could then be seen running to a security guard’s cabin and locking herself in the room. Zahir followed her and dragged her out of the cabin, while the security guard and others in the street witnessed the events. Neither the guards nor the onlookers stopped Zahir.
The brutal murder and beheading of Noor Mukadam sparked nationwide outrage with thousands of people calling on the authorities to take the case to its logical end.
