Afreen Baig murder
Mengal confesses to conspiracy
By Zabe Azkar Hussain
KARACHI: Farooq Mengal under intense interrogation by police has confessed to conspiring to kill his wife Afreen Baig.
According to police, he was a hard nut to crack and several times feigned fainting spells and extreme distress, citing grief for the death of his wife as a reason.
At one time police also brought his driver, Muhammad Buksh Umrani, before him and upon hearing Umrani confess, Mengal fell silent.
Subsequently, he confessed to the murder saying that he had done so to gain control of his wife’s finances.
He mentioned two incoming payments of Rs80 lakhs for the drama serial ‘Humsafar’ and approximately Rs2.5 crores for the drama serial ‘Anarkali’ that the couple were due to receive.
Mengal also said that he wanted to make the murder look like an accident.
According to sources, police have come to the conclusion that Umrani’s wife played no major part in the murder and they are trying to convince her to turn state witness.
Mengal was detained by the police for questioning, when his driver had earlier confessed that he had committed the murder on the behest of his employer.
driver confesses: Muhammad Bukhsh Umrani, the driver of Afreen Baig, before a judicial magistrate on Thursday, confessed to his crime of killing the TV producer and playwright at the behest of her husband, Farooq Mengal.
Judicial Magistrate, South, Anwarul Hassan Siddiqui, who recorded the evidence of the detainee under Section 164 of the Criminal Procedure Code, enquired as to how had he arranged this murder and the accused, Umrani, revealed that he and his wife, Zahida (who is also in detention), killed Afreen on the directions of the deceased’s husband.
The accused said that Mengal had expressed suspicion that his wife had developed illicit relations with her ex-husband and had been meeting him on and off. He said that Mengal had also promised Rs 1,000,000 to him for killing his wife.
Umrani further disclosed that according to the plan, Mengal had said that he was selling one of his drama serials and when he would receive the money, he would give the promised amount to him.
The accused said that before the date (October 12) was set for killing Afreen Baig, Mengal had left for Lahore and he kept in touch with him on telephone. However, Afreen went to her mother’s house on the date and when Mengal telephoned Umrani, he became furious and abused him after knowing that the driver had failed to carry out the plan. He further asked him (Umrani) to commit the murder without any delay.
On October 13, Afreen Baig returned home along with her mother, her son, Faham, and her sisters. Later, as the mother and sisters left the house, they (Umrani and his wife) forced Afreen to sign two cheques (of Rs 280,000) and also snatched her credit card from which they withdrew a cash of Rs15,000. Later, they forced her to take liquor and drugs, and finally strangled her to death.
The accused further disclosed that Mengal had persuaded him to kill his wife saying that both of them (Umrani and Mengal) were Baloch by cast, so he (Umrani) should assist him in carrying out this honour killing. This factor provoked him to kill a ‘corrupt woman’, he said.
The court, after hearing this confessional statement, ordered to shift the accused to judicial custody. His wife, Zahida, will record her statement during the next hearing.
Posted on 10/23/2004 8:13:03 PM
erz 
hope the bastard burns in hell. 
