OKARA, Oct 14: The untimely removal of District Police Officer Dr Osman Anwar, who until Friday was investigating an all-important DNA case being heard by the Supreme Court, has thrown open a debate on the credibility of the probe.

The DPO has been shown the door in the middle of investigation into a murder case of Shahnaz Begum, a resident of Deepalpur, who was shot dead while she was asleep at her house. A case was registered against former district naib nazim Syed Abbas Raza Rizvi and his accomplices by the Deepalpur city police station.

Earlier, the investigation was under way when the then DPO, Tahir Mahmood Malik, got himself transferred from Okara as he was approaching his retirement and was replaced by Dr Osman.

It is pertinent to mention here that the deceased Shahnaz Begum was the complainant in a writ petition she had submitted with the apex court with a request to order a DNA test as she alleged that Abbas Rizvi (Shahnaz’s killer) had illicit relations with her younger sister Mehnaz Begum. She said Mehnaz had given birth to a baby girl but her husband kept denying having any relationship with the woman.

Ultimately Mehnaz’s sister filed a writ petition in the Supreme Court seeking DNA test of the couple. A few days later, Shahnaz Begum was shot dead and Abbas Rizvi and his accomplices were nominated in the FIR.

About two weeks ago, inquiry officer DPO Dr Osman Anwar told the Supreme Court that the Okara police had arrestd Amanat Ali, a resident of Wapda Town in Lahore, who confessed before a local court in a statement under 164 CrPC that he had shot dead Shahnaz Begum at the behest of Abbas Rizvi.

Subsequently, Amanat Ali filed an application with a local magistrate of Deepalpur seeking his medical examination through the DHQ hospital medical board. The magistrate accepted the application and directed the police to ensure Amanat’s examination to ascertain whether or not the police had tortured him to obtain a confessional statement as claimed by him.

A four-member medical board of the DHQ hospital reported 12 marks of injuries on his body, though there was no fracture or grievous injury.

During the last hearing, Mehnaz informed the court that she did not want to have a DNA test as she feared that she might meet the same fate as her sister had met. However, the Supreme Court has asked the Okara police to furnish it with the DNA test report by the first week of November.

POND: The tehsil municipal administration (TMA) has failed to clear the choked sewerage lines even 40 hours after heavy rain and thunderstorm.