Qandeel Baloch murder case: Mufti Abdul Qavi arrested while fleeing to Jhang

Mufti Abdul Qavi, former member of the moon sighting committee and a suspect in social media celebrity Qandeel Baloch’s murder case, was arrested while he was trying to ‘escape’ to Jhang after a court rejected extension in his pre-arrest bail.

Last week a judicial magistrate, Pervaiz Khan, had issued a non-bailable warrant for the arrest of the cleric after the investigation officer had informed the court that he was not cooperating with the court.

However, soon after the issuance of the warrant, Qavi’s lawyers filed a pre-arrest bail application before District and Sessions Judge Muhammad Ameer Khan, who had granted him bail against a surety bond of Rs100,000.

But on Wednesday, the judge rejected Qavi’s request for extension in his pre-arrest bail after lawyers, representing both the parties, presented their case.

During the hearing, the judge remarked that proceedings against Qavi would be carried out under Section 302 and 109 (abetment) of Pakistan Penal Code (PPC). According to the police, Qavi faces charges of inciting Qandeel’s brother to murder her.

Qavi was present in the court during the first half of the hearing, but he soon fled the premises before the order was announced. However, the cleric was later tracked through his mobile phone while he was trying to ‘escape’ to Jhang. He was taken into custody on Multan-Jhang highway.

Qavi’s lawyer later said that his client was rushing to attend a funeral and was not trying to escape.

Qandeel Baloch, a self-proclaimed actress and model, was strangled to death by her own brother for the sake of ‘honor’, in July last year.

The police included Qavi’s name in the suspect’s list after Qandeel’s father revealed that the cleric incited his son to murder Qandeel. Just before her death, the social media celebrity had posted selfies of herself and the cleric which marred his reputation.

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Posted by fatimaarshad on Oct 19 2017. Filed under Latest News, Pakistan. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0. You can skip to the end and leave a response. Pinging is currently not allowed.