ISLAMABAD: Islamabad Police on Tuesday issued a statement confirming that "very strong forensic evidence" is available against Zaheer Jafar, who has been charged with the murder of Noor Muqadam.
According to the statement, evidence was collected from the crime scene "in a professional manner" and sent to the Punjab Forensic Science Agency.
The PFSA confirmed the following findings:
1. DNA evidence confirmed that Noor was raped prior to the murder.
2. Noor tried everything possible to save her life before she died. Zaheer's DNA i.e. skin was recovered from under Noor's nails.
3. The shirt worn and recovered by Zaheer was stained with Noor's blood. His DNA was found on Zaheer's shirt.
4. Noor was killed with a knife recovered from the spot. DNA i.e. Noor's blood was found on the blade and handle of the Swiss knife.
5. Noor was also attacked with a knuckle punch recovered from the crime scene. DNA i.e. Noor's blood was found on the punch of the finger.
"These are very strong pieces of forensic evidence and the investigation team is committed to bring Noor Muqadam to justice," the Islamabad police statement said.
𝗨𝗽𝗱𝗮𝘁𝗲 𝗼𝗻 𝗡𝗼𝗼𝗿 𝗠𝘂𝗾𝗮𝗱𝗱𝗮𝗺 𝗖𝗮𝘀𝗲 👇#Noormuqaddam #IslamabadPolice pic.twitter.com/zPCrefhvKx
— Islamabad Police (@ICT_Police) January 25, 2022
The statement was made after a briefing given to Inspector General of Police (IGP) Mohammad Ahsan Yunus, in which he asked the police officials to explain the proceedings of the case so far.
The meeting was attended by DIG Operations, Chief Prosecutor, SSP Investigation, SP Investigation, DSP Legal and IO of the case.
According to the statement, the IGP was told that in the court proceedings a day earlier, the investigating officer was cross-examined and was required to answer "yes" or "no" to the questions. However, some media reports had misinterpreted the proceedings.
Therefore, the statement also sought to clarify these misconceptions.
misconceptions
The investigating officer was asked the following questions, which he answered with a "no" but which led to misinterpretations by the media.
Question: Were the pants of the accused stained with blood?
not answer.
Explanation: According to the PFSA report, the shirt of the accused was not stained with blood but with the blood of the victim, Noor Mukadam.
Question: Were any fingerprints found on the knife, the weapon of the crime?
not answer.
Explanation: The knife recovered from the crime scene was taken into custody, sealed by the NFSA and sent to the PFSA for fingerprints, which could not be developed later. But, the report confirmed Noor Mukadam's blood on the knife.
Question: Was the photogrammetry test done to identify the victim Noor Mukadam?
not answer.
Explanation: Photogrammetry test is done to identify the accused so that he cannot deny his presence at the crime scene.
PFSA's detailed report has 'enough' evidence for conviction
The statement further said that the detailed report of the PFSA "is yet to be read at the next hearing containing comprehensive forensic evidence, sufficient to warrant the conviction of the accused".
It said, "The site was visited by senior most officials at the time of incident and the scene was thoroughly preserved by forensic experts from National Forensic Science Agency to avoid any contamination."
the killing
In October 2021, a court in Islamabad formally charged Zaheer with the murder of Noor Muqadam. Besides him, two employees of the family - Jameel and Jaan Mohammed - were indicted along with the chief executive officer of Therapy Works, Tahir Zahoor. 12 people in total.
Noor, a 27-year-old woman, was murdered on July 20 within the limits of Kohsar police station in Islamabad's F-7 area.
A case was registered at the same police station on the complaint of Noor's father Shaukat Ali Mukadam.
Islamabad police arrested Zaheer from his house on the night of 20 July where, according to Noor's parents, he killed her with a sharp weapon and beheaded her.