Latest news with #PunjabForensicScienceAgency
Express Tribune
31-07-2025
- Express Tribune
Two relatives held for 'abuse' of three siblings
A disturbing case of alleged sexual abuse of three minor siblings has surfaced in Al-Noor Colony, under the jurisdiction of Sadiqabad Police Station, involving their paternal uncle and another close relative. Police have registered a case and arrested both nominated suspects — 25-year-old Kamran Khalid, an employee of a private refrigeration company, and 48-year-old Rashid, the maternal uncle of the complainant. Both are currently on judicial remand. According to the complaint, the children's father, who works at a hotel in Dubai, returned home on July 14 to visit his 11-year-old son admitted to Benazir Bhutto Hospital. Upon seeing his father, the child broke down and revealed that he had been repeatedly abused by Kamran Khalid when their mother was not at home, and threatened into silence. He further accused Rashid of similar abuse and of showing him explicit videos. The father said his two younger daughters, aged eight and six, also came forward alleging inappropriate behaviour by both suspects and threats to kill their mother if they spoke about it. Police officials said that the children and suspects were taken to the Punjab Forensic Science Agency for DNA testing, but the delay in reporting prevented conclusive tests. The children's statements under Section 164 of the Criminal Procedure Code are scheduled to be recorded in court on Friday (today).
Express Tribune
28-07-2025
- Express Tribune
Sidra Arab's body exhumed in honour killing probe in Rawalpindi
Authorities in Rawalpindi exhumed the body of 17-year-old Sidra Arab on Monday as part of an ongoing investigation into her killing seemingly over honour. Police said Sidra's post-mortem was carried out at Pirwadhai Graveyard by a team from Holy Family Hospital, led by Senior Medical Officer Dr Misbahur Rehman. The medical board also included Dr Arif Saleem, mortuary supervisor Muhammad Saeed, and a hospital dispenser. Samples collected from the body will be sent to the Punjab Forensic Science Agency in Lahore. The results are expected to help determine the cause of death. Preliminary findings indicate signs of torture. Police sources said that Sidra's body was swollen due to water exposure, her tongue was protruding, and her neck bones were broken. The burial site had reportedly been tampered with to erase evidence, despite heavy rainfall on the day of the funeral. Read: Man kills wife for 'honour' Police believe Sidra may have been strangled in a suspected honour killing. Hospital officials said the medical board will submit a sealed report to the court once the forensic tests are complete. Eight suspects, including former union council vice chairperson Ismatullah Khan, have been arrested. Police say the suspects exhibited "extreme brutality" and are now being presented before the court under special security. Investigators are seeking extended physical remand for further interrogation. Sidra's second husband, Usman, and his father Muhammad Ilyas were brought to the graveyard for formal identification of the body. The exhumation and autopsy were conducted under court orders. Sidra had married her second husband, Usman, in Muzaffarabad on July 12. According to court documents, she had appeared before a judicial magistrate days later, confirming the marriage was consensual and stating that she feared for her life. She also requested court protection. Usman surrendered to police shortly after her death and handed over the marriage certificate and supporting documents. His father Ilyas released a video statement alleging that Sidra had been taken from their home by armed members of a local jirga, who promised a respectful farewell but instead killed her. Police say Sidra's burial was organised to hide the crime. CCTV footage from the graveyard, burial tools, and the loader rickshaw used to transport her body were recovered. Officials also found the relevant burial receipt had been removed from cemetery records. The jirga was allegedly led by Ismatullah Khan, a former Union Council Vice Chairman and local trader affiliated with the PML-N. Party officials have since publicly distanced themselves from him. Investigators say Section 311 of the Pakistan Penal Code has been invoked, ensuring the case cannot be settled privately and will proceed under state prosecution.
Express Tribune
02-06-2025
- Politics
- Express Tribune
Imran again refuses lie detector tests
Incarcerated former prime minister Imran Khan on Monday refused to undergo lie detector test for the fourth time and a team comprising policemen and members of the Punjab Forensic Science Agency (PFSA) returned after waiting at Rawalpindi's Adiala Jail for four hours. An anti-terrorism court (ATC) in Lahore had allowed police to conduct the text on Imran in connection with cases filed against him and a number of PTI leaders after unprecedented incidents of vandalism in which dozens of army installations were attacked on May 9 and May 10 or 2023. According to sources, a Lahore police investigation team led by DSP Asif Javed arrived at Adiala Jail at 12:45 pm to conduct a polygraph test, photogrammetric and voice matching tests. Members of the PFSA were also part of the investigation team, including inspectors Muhammad Aslam, Tasaddaq, Saleem, and Naveed as well technical expert Abid Ayub. Upon their arrival, the prison authorities informed the PTI founder, but he refused for the fourth time to join the investigation. Sources said Imran was informed that the investigation team had come with a court order, yet he again declined to undergo the tests. After Imran's refusal to cooperate in the investigation process, the teams had to return after a long wait. Earlier, Imran Khan had stipulated that he would only participate in the investigation and undergo the tests in the presence of his lawyers. However, when the investigators returned with his legal counsel present, he provided a written response stating that Article 13 grants him protection from being compelled to become a witness against himself or assist in producing evidence that may be used against him. Lahore ATC-I Judge Manzer Ali Gill on May 14 allowed the police to conduct polygraphlie detectionand photogrammetricfacial and voice analysistests of Imran Khan in twelve May 9 cases. The judge had ordered completion of the tests within 12 days, saying the prosecution might meet the PTI founder in Adiala Jail during that period. Meanwhile, addressing a press conference in Lahore, PTI leadersSalman Akram Raja and Malik Ahmed Khansaid there is no restriction on Imran Khan's sons to return to Pakistan and participate in politics. The PTI founder's sonsKasim and Suleimanhave remained throughout their lives in the United Kingdom with their mother--Imran's first wife Jemima Goldsmith In a rare interview released on social media on May 13, Kasim and Sulaiman spoke about the alleged "suppression of democracy" in Pakistan and a lack of basic facilities for Imran Khan in his prison cell. They said their father was being kept in prison on "trumped up charges." They also urged US President Donald Trump and the international community to help free their father from prison, appealing to "people of influence" around the world to press for his release. WITH INPUT FROM OUR CORRESPONDENT IN LAHORE
Express Tribune
07-05-2025
- Express Tribune
'Arms recovery sans forensics not conclusive'
The Lahore High Court (LHC) has ruled that the recovery of a weapon, without forensic confirmation linking it to the crime, cannot be treated as incriminating evidence. Citing serious gaps in the prosecution's case, the court acquitted Shahid Mehmood alias Demo, who had been convicted of killing two people during a dacoity. A two-member bench led by Justice Muhammad Tariq Nadeem observed that the prosecution "miserably failed" to establish the convict's guilt beyond a reasonable doubt. The bench criticized the trial court for giving undue weight to the recovery of a Kalashnikov and bullets, which were neither linked to the crime through forensic evidence nor shown to be in the exclusive possession of the accused. The prosecution had presented the recovery of a Kalashnikov and three bullets from an abandoned house as key evidence. However, the court found that this recovery failed on multiple counts. "No crime empties were sent to the Punjab Forensic Science Agency (PFSA) for ballistic comparison with the recovered weapon," the judgment noted. "Without this forensic linkage, the recovery remains disconnected from the crime." The court also noted that the prosecution failed to prove that the location from where the weapon was recovered was in Shahid's exclusive control. The site plan prepared by the investigating officer lacked any such confirmation, and no circumstantial evidence was offered to establish the accused's dominion over the abandoned house. The bench ruled that the identification parade conducted more than 20 months after the crime was unreliable.
Express Tribune
26-04-2025
- Express Tribune
Review reveals lapses in handling of criminal cases
A recent internal review has revealed significant lapses in the handling of serious criminal cases by Rawalpindi police stations, including delays in filing First Information Reports (FIRs), pending DNA reports at the Punjab Forensic Science Agency, and repeated failure of station house officers (SHOs) and investigating officers to appear in court on scheduled dates. City Police Officer (CPO) Khalid Hamdani and SSP Operations Kashif Zulfiqar expressed strong concerns over these issues. They have directed divisional superintendents of police (SPs) to ensure timely registration of FIRs, expedite the process of acquiring pending forensic reports, and ensure compliance with court orders. According to official sources, CPO Hamdani specifically addressed SPs of Rawal, Potohar, and Saddar divisions, citing a large number of serious casesincluding murder, rape, gang rape, and unnatural offenceswhose DNA reports remain pending at the Punjab Forensic Science Agency. Despite these cases being under trial in courts, relevant SHOs and officers have reportedly failed to follow up on the forensic reports, leading to frequent embarrassment for the police in legal proceedings. Furthermore, the CPO highlighted that SHOs and investigating officers often do not appear in court on their assigned dates. He issued strict instructions that all such officers must be made accountable for attending court hearings and ensuring the implementation of judicial orders. He also emphasised that pending DNA reports must be obtained and presented in court without delay and that full case details should be shared with both the CPO Office and the forensic agency. Separately, SSP Operations Kashif Zulfiqar issued a formal directive to divisional SPs, stating that monitoring has revealed a consistent failure to register FIRs on time, which constitutes a serious violation of standard operating procedures and directives from higher authorities.
