An Islamabad court on Monday, 12 October, ordered that suspect Nauman be held by police for five days in a case linked to alleged fraud and the reported suicide of a student at the International Islamic University. Judicial Magistrate Zunaira Zafar allowed the shorter period after investigators asked for 10 days of physical remand, the Associated Press of Pakistan reported. Officers brought Nauman into court with his face covered. The case is registered at Ramna Police Station.
What the magistrate approved
Physical remand is a court order that leaves a suspect in police custody so investigators can question him and check evidence. The Islamabad court granted five days, not the 10 police had requested for further investigation.
The investigation officer told the magistrate that the facts and circumstances still had to be gone through before anyone could say what had happened. He said more inquiry was needed because of the evidence already in hand and the findings of an initial inquiry, according to APP.
What police say they still need to check
The officer said investigators had to pin down Nauman’s alleged part in the incident and test the material collected so far. Police, he told the court, would also verify items connected to the suspect and look at any other evidence that might bear on the case.
APP said the investigation is aimed at setting out the circumstances of the student’s death, assessing the allegations, and checking the evidence. The case, as the agency described it, concerns allegations of fraud involving an International Islamic University student who reportedly died by suicide.
What the report does not yet show
The APP account does not name the student, and it does not describe the alleged fraud. It also does not say what will happen when the five days end.
The Islamabad court, on the facts published so far, has decided the length of police custody. It has not been reported as having ruled on whether the allegations are proved.
