In a dramatic turn of events, Armaghan Kamran, the key accused in the Mustafa Amir murder case, claimed before an anti-terrorism court that his mother and counsel wanted to declare him mad as they were “after his money.”
Armaghan, along with co-accused Sheraz alias Shavez Bukhari, has been charged with kidnapping and murdering his friend Amir in Karachi’s Defence Housing Authority (DHA) on Jan 6, 2025.
The accused later stuffed the victim’s body in the trunk of his car and set it afire in the Hub area of Balochistan.
Apart from the murder case, he faces several other cases, including an encounter with the Anti-Violent Crime Cell (AVCC) team during a raid on his bungalow that left a DSP dead, recovery of sophisticated weapons, an armed attack on a journalist, and illegal call centre case.
As the cases came up for hearing before the ATC-VII judge at the Judicial Complex inside the Central Prison recently, Armaghan was produced from jail. His mother and defence lawyer Khurram Abbas Awan were present in the court.
During the hearing of the journalist attack case, accused Armaghan shouted on his counsel and his mother, saying they wanted to “declare him made and they are after his money.”
“He declares himself as fit and healthy and want to pursue his case himself,” the judge noted, as per the case diary. “Both advocate for accused and his mother also shouted on accused,” he added.
The court adjourned the hearing of the case until June 1 and remanded the suspect back to the prison.
Last year in August, the ATC had indicted Armaghan for an alleged armed attack on a journalist within the remits of the Bahadurabad police station in 2024.
On February 26, the court framed charges against Armaghan and Sheraz in the Mustafa Amir murder case. They then pleaded not guilty and vowed to contest them. Subsequently, the court ordered the prosecution to produce its witnesses to record their testimonies against them, formally starting their trial in the murder case.
According to the investigation report, the last location of victim Mustafa’s mobile phone was found at the residence of Armaghan. The mobile phone location of Armaghan and Sheraz was also traced to the same place at that time.
It said that forensic tests confirmed that blood samples collected from Armaghan’s bungalow matched with those of the victim, adding that CCTV footage showing bloodstains being cleaned from the crime scene had also been recovered.
The IO said Armaghan and Sheraz took Mustafa to Balochistan in his car with their CDR data confirming their presence near the Hamdard University. Two eyewitnesses, a Suzuki driver and a hotel owner, had recorded their statements, he mentioned.
He said that CCTV footage showed the suspects returning to Karachi from Balochistan in a Suzuki vehicle. Armaghan later led police to the place where he set the victim’s car to fire. All forensic reports had been received, and CCTV footage verified as authentic, the charge sheet stated. It further stated that the suspects confirmed calling Mustafa’s mother to demand ransom.
