PESHAWAR: Dr Warda, a medical officer at Abbottabad’s DHQ Hospital, was abducted outside the facility and killed barely an hour later, said District Police Officer Haroon ur Rasheed, while sources say the crime is linked to 67 tolas of gold she had handed to a friend for safekeeping.
According to the MS of DHQ Hospital, the post-mortem examination of Dr Warda has been completed, and the report will be released soon.
Sources said she had been serving as a medical officer at the same hospital and was living at home with her children because her husband was abroad. The DPO added that she was taken from outside the DHQ Hospital on December 4 and that her body was found four days later.
The sources said that around the time of her planned departure abroad, Dr Warda was worried about 67 tolas of gold in her possession. A female suspect, identified as her friend Rida Jadoon, allegedly gained her confidence and persuaded her to deposit the 67 tolas of gold with her as an amanat (safekeeping).
Police later found that this gold had been pawned elsewhere and that Rs5 million had already been obtained against it.
In the murder case, police have so far arrested three suspects: prime suspect Rida Jadoon, her employee, Nadeem, and Pervaiz, who is a relative of Nadeem. Another key suspect, Shamraiz, who is Nadeem’s uncle, remains at large.
The sources said that the three related suspects belong to the same village from which Dr Warda’s body was recovered. Police sources added that raids have been conducted at multiple locations, including Peshawar, to arrest the absconding suspect.
According to investigators, the suspects first took Dr Warda to an under-construction house in Jinnahabad. DPO Rasheed told a press conference that she was strangled to death and that she was killed barely an hour after being abducted, before her body was taken and buried near Thandiani. He said both vehicles used in the crime have been seized.
The suspects had gained Dr Warda’s trust, particularly Rida, and had her gold stored with them. On the day she was murdered, they made her write cheques which were later presented at the bank but bounced, while she had already been killed within an hour of her abduction.
Meanwhile, three suspects arrested in the murder case have been produced before the anti-terrorism court (ATC), which approved a three-day physical remand after investigators sought a 15-day remand for further interrogation.
Meanwhile, the authorities have decided to form a joint investigation team (JIT) to probe Dr Warda's alleged murder and a letter had been dispatched to the KP's chief secretary after approval from CM Sohail Afridi.
The letter proposes the JIT to be led by a senior civil officer of the provincial government and seeks inclusion of the Counter-Terrorism Department (CTD), Special Branch, Abbottabad Police and prosecution in the probe team.
Highlighting that the deceased went missing on December 4, and a first information report (FIR) was lodged on December 5, the letter says that Dr Warda had handed over 67 tolas of gold to a fellow doctor and later a dispute had arisen after it was not returned.
The suspect kidnapped and killed Dr Warda and hid the body in the forest, the letter reads, stressing that a JIT is necessary to ensure a comprehensive, independent and multi-agency inquiry of the incident.
The JIT request is to be taken against the backdrop of the deceased's post-mortem report, which says that she died of strangulation and suffocation.
The report also points out that Dr Warda's neck is broken and scratches were also found on her right shoulder, arm and palm.
There's also evidence of swelling in the victim's eyes and bleeding from the nose.
