Investigators have traced WhatsApp messages and calls demanding Rs20 million in ransom money from Mustafa Amir’s mother, during his disappearance, to prime suspect in the case Armaghan, it emerged on Thursday.
Police said they have incorporated co-accused Shiraz Bukhari’s detailed statement on the extortion in the final charge sheet.
On Thursday, the IO submitted before an anti-terrorism court (ATC) in Karachi that a forensic exhumation confirmed Amir had no traces of drugs in his system, dispelling earlier rumours and sharpening focus on the motive and timeline of his killing.
Prosecutors will present the full array of digital and forensic evidence including WhatsApp logs, financial records and vehicle-seizure documents at the upcoming hearing, as the case moves toward trial.
Read: Mustafa Amir case: ATC extends Armaghan’s physical remand
Mustafa Amir, a 23-year-old BBA student, went missing on January 6, 2025, after visiting a call-centre established in a bungalow in Defence House Authority’s (DHA) Khayaban-e-Momin area.
Investigators claim Armaghan assaulted Amir with an iron rod, bound his body, placed it in a car boot, drove to Hub, and set both the vehicle and its occupant ablaze before returning to Karachi.
On March 11, an anti-terrorism court (ATC) handed over Armaghan to police for further seven days physical remand. The case investigation officer (IO) seized his laptop and mobile phone, believed to contain crucial evidence.
Read more: Mustafa Amir murder case: Money laundering charges filed against Armaghan
By April 5, the police had identified two of Armaghan’s employees Rahim Bakhsh and Abdul Rahim, who hailed from Bahawalpur and were on the run. They found six SIM cards registered under their names – one of which was used by Armaghan – and linked a WhatsApp account with the name “Supreme Financial Associates” to the extortion plot. Bank accounts opened in the suspects’ names funded Armaghan’s laundering scheme, and both remain wanted, said police.
On June 2, a local court granted bail to Armaghan’s father, Kamran Asghar Qureshi, in an illegal-arms case, setting bail at Rs100,000. Four FIRs registered against him remained active after police recovered weapons from his possession.
Later in July, the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) filed a case under money-laundering charges against Armaghan, stating that he ran illegal call-centres since 2018 that generated US$300,000–500,000 per month, laundered through cryptocurrency. Officials froze eight luxury vehicles purchased with those proceeds.
