Suspect in Noor murder case was ‘sound and in his senses’

ISLAMABAD: The suspect who allegedly brutally killed the daughter of a former Pakistani diplomat in Islamabad was completely “sound and in his senses” when arrested from the murder scene, a police officer supervising the investigation of the case said.

Noor Mukadam, 27, daughter of Shaukat Mukadam, was found murdered at a house in the capital’s upscale Sector F-7/4 on Tuesday. A friend of the woman, identified as Zahir Zakir, was arrested over his alleged involvement in the murder, with police saying he is the son of a leading businessman.

Talking about different claims on social media about the killing, senior superintendent of police (SSP), Investigation, Ataur Rehman told reporters that when the police arrested Zakir, he was sound and in his senses. “He may have had a past history of taking drugs but at least at this time he was completely in his senses,” the officer said, adding that the drug usage was not the domain of the police investigation.

He emphasised that police were focusing on the suspect’s “mental frame of mind” and that initial findings indicated the accused was completely aware of his actions when he allegedly commited the murder.

Regarding his mental health history, the SSP said the police investigation “has nothing to do with that” and was being pursued from the angle of whether the act was justified or not — which it completely wasn’t.

Ataur Rehman said the suspect was tied with ropes by some people whom he had atacked ater killing Noor, before police arrived at the scene. Police had initially said the victim was shot at before being “slaughtered.” Another person was also injured in the incident.

But the SSP said while a pistol had been found at the suspect’s house, the initial investigation and medical report did not show a firearm injury in the incident. He added that a bullet was stuck in the pistol’s chamber at the time it was recovered.

The official said the police did not currently have information about whether the suspect had a criminal record in other countries.