A district and sessions court in Rawalpindi on Saturday prolonged the physical remand of two suspects, Faisal Asghar, husband of the deceased Hina Javed, and domestic worker Zeeshan, by an additional four days to facilitate further investigation into the murder case.
Hina Javed, a digital media executive, was discovered dead in her residence located in Rawalpindi’s Lalkurti area on August 20. Her body was found tied to a shower in the bathroom.
At the start of the hearing, police produced the suspects before the court following the expiration of their initial three-day physical remand. Deputy Public Prosecutor Rehman Shaukat Bhatti represented the police and requested a seven-day extension, citing the need to retrieve documents concerning Asghar’s divorce from his first wife and his subsequent marriage to Hina.
After considering the submissions, the court granted a four-day extension for the suspects’ physical remand and directed that they be presented before the court again on September 2.
Notably, during the previous hearing on August 26, Advocate Shah Khawar, representing the deceased’s family, expressed confidence in the police investigation, stating that evidence had been gathered and forensic examinations conducted, indicating progress in the inquiry.
In a significant development, the domestic worker Zeeshan confessed to strangling and torturing Hina Javed. He revealed that he was summoned amid a marital dispute between Hina and Faisal. Zeeshan admitted that when Hina attempted to escape during the altercation, both he and Faisal restrained her, and upon her resistance, he pressed her throat.
Additionally, Zeeshan acknowledged repeatedly stealing from the household.
police, Hina’s father-in-law alerted authorities about a burglary at the residence. Upon arrival, police found Hina’s body tied to the shower fixture in the bathroom.
The post-mortem examination, conducted by Dr. Maria Khalid approximately 12 hours after death, revealed multiple injuries on Hina’s body, including a fractured neck bone and marks on her ribs and hip. The report also noted that her pericardium and heart were filled with blood.
DNA samples were collected from the body and sent to a laboratory, alongside other forensic samples, to ascertain the precise cause of death, which initially remained unclear.
