Islamabad: In the high-profile Sarah Inam murder case, an Islamabad-based court on Monday indicted Shahnawaz Amir, the main accused, and his mother Sameena Shah.
The court of Judge Atta Rabbani announced the indictment order dismissing Sameena Shaha’s application in which she sought to be discharged from the case. Earlier in the day, Judge Atta Rabbani had reserved the verdict on her plea.
It is important to note that both Shahnawaz Amir, the primary accused, and his mother, Sameena Shah, have pleaded not guilty to the crime. Meanwhile, the court has asked the prosecution to summon the witnesses on December 14.
Today’s hearing
Sameena Shah’s lawyer, Nasir Asghar, told the court today that the police wrote in its challan that his client was found at the crime scene but did not mention her involvement.
Asghar told the court that when the prosecution’s case was not against her, then she should be discharged from the case. He said that when the police arrived at the crime scene, she handed her son to the law enforcement agency.
However, the lawyer of Inam ur Rehman, Sarah’s father, told the court that they agreed that when Sarah came to the farmhouse the three of them — the victim and both accused — had dinner together in the evening. He added that it was also mentioned in the police record that Sarah came there after the divorce.
“What happened when these three people sat together that evening?” asked the lawyer. He added that the divorce between the couple happened two days before the murder, and the CCTV cameras also stopped working the same day.
The Case
Sarah Inam was allegedly killed by her husband Shahnawaz Amir, the son of famous journalist Ayaz Amir, at home after a row over a “family issue” on September 23.
Police recovered her body from a farmhouse in the Chak Shahzad area of Islamabad and arrested Shah Nawaz for being a suspect in the case. He later confessed to killing her. The couple had been married for just three months.
On the complaint of Station House Officer (SHO) Nawazish Ali Khan, police filed a first information report (FIR) under Section 302 (punishment for murder) of the Pakistan Penal Code (PPC).
The FIR states that on Friday, September 23, the suspect’s mother, Sameena, called the police to report that her son, Shahnawaz, had killed his wife with a dumbbell.
It further says that Sameena informed the police that her son was home and had covered his wife’s body. The cops then searched the residence.
According to the police complaint, Shahnawaz had locked himself in his room, and when the staff broke down the door, they found blood stains on his hands and clothing.
According to the FIR, Shahnawaz confessed to striking his wife repeatedly with a dumbbell during an argument and then concealing the Canadian national’s body in the bathtub once the police had Shahnawaz.
Shahnawaz said in the FIR that the “murder weapon” was stashed beneath his bed. Police reportedly discovered blood and hair on the dumbbell after inspecting it. Later, they forwarded it to forensics.
