Parents of suspect in murder of Pakistan ex-ambassador’s daughter arrested

Islamabad: The Islamabad police have arrested the parents of the main accused Zahir Zakir Jaffer and their two household staff members for tampering or hiding evidence and for helping the alleged murderer in brutally killing 27-year old Noor Mukadam, daughter of the former Pakistani Ambassador to South Korea, Shaukat Ali Mukadam.

She was allegedly murdered and beheaded a day before Eid Al Adha by the suspect at his house in Islamabad’s posh area F-7/4.

On Sunday the police produced the accused before a local court of Islamabad and got two-day physical remand from the court.

Arrests based on statements of Noor’s father

In a statement, a police spokesperson said several people including Zahir’s father Zakir Jaffer, mother Asmat Adamjee and household staff Iftikhar and Jameel were taken into custody for investigation based on the statement of the victim’s father.

All those who are connected to the case in any capacity are included in the investigation, it said, adding that evidence was being collected from all the people.

Earlier during the hearing of the case, a police official told the court that Noor had jumped from an air shaft in order to escape and the household staff saw the suspect dragging the victim back into the house.

The household staff and the security guards all played silent spectators during the show of violence and torture by the accused.

If they had informed the police on time, the murder could have been prevented, the police prosecutor told the court.

Police arrived on neighbour’s call

The police reached the house within three minutes on the call of a neighbour, said the investigation officer requesting the court to grant physical remand of the suspects so their mobile phones could be retrieved.

When the police reached the crime scene, Zahir was tied up by the people as he had allegedly tried to attack others also.

Accused’s lawyer confronts charges

The counsel for Zahir’s parents and household staff, Advocate Rizwan Abbasi, however, confronted the charges saying, “My clients want justice to be done. Police took them into custody despite the fact they obtained pre-arrest bail.”

We will file a contempt case and get an FIR registered against the police, he warned.

He added that his clients were never supporting the suspect Zahir Jaffer. The accused’s parents sent people from the rehabilitation organisation after they heard noise in the house, Abbasi said, adding that they came to know about the murder after it was done.

“My clients came from Karachi to Islamabad themselves and went to the police station.”

On the other hand, the lawyer for Noor’s family, Salaar Khan, said the due process of law must be followed, arguing that the parents should remain in police custody for investigation.

‘Therapy clinic sealed’

Meanwhile, the Islamabad administration sealed “Therapyworks” where Zahir reportedly worked as a therapist supporting his mother who is also a well-known therapist of the city.

He even held counseling classes with students of various schools and youth groups.

Deputy Commissioner of Islamabad, a day earlier in a tweet shared the sealing orders of ‘Therapyworks’ have been issued and both the parents of the main accused have been arrested.

A friend of Noor requesting not to be named recalled Noor had broken up with Zahir a couple of years ago which had infuriated him and he had started sending abusive texts to her friends. “Noor was a soft-spoken girl and it gives me shudders to imagine how much pain and torture she had suffered before dying,” she further said.