Irfan Baloch murder case investigation transferred to FIA

KARACHI: The investigation into the death of Irfan Baloch, a young man who died in police custody, has been transferred to the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA), ARY News reported on Sunday.

SSP South Amjad Ahmed Shaikh confirmed the development, saying the Sindh Police had decided to hand over the case to ensure a fair and transparent investigation.

“The impression that the police are trying to protect the accused officers is completely false. I assure you that justice will be served,” SSP Shaikh stated.

He added that the entire case record will be handed over to the FIA by Monday.

According to police, a case was registered at the Saddar Police Station under charges of negligence and manslaughter. Seven police officers were nominated in the FIR, out of which two have been arrested so far.

The investigation revealed that Irfan and several others were brought in for questioning as suspects, when his condition reportedly deteriorated during interrogation. The officers allegedly failed to provide immediate medical assistance.

A post-mortem report confirmed that Irfan had suffered torture before his death. Sources said the body was approximately 36 hours old at the time of examination, further supporting claims of custodial abuse.

Irfan Baloch, a resident of Bahawalpur, had been visiting Karachi for leisure when he was detained by police.

Authorities say the FIA will now probe the case independently, focusing on allegations of custodial torture, negligence, and abuse of power.

According to police officials, an FIR has been lodged at the SIU Police Station in Saddar on behalf of the SHO SIU, nominating ASI Ubaid Shah, ASI Sarfraz, constables Fayyaz Shah, Waqar, Asif Ali and others as accused in the case.

Initial postmortem findings revealed multiple injury marks on the victim’s body, contradicting the police’s earlier claim that Irfan Baloch had died of a heart attack.

Dr. Samia Tariq, the police surgeon overseeing the autopsy, confirmed that Irfan’s body bore signs of severe torture at several places. She added that samples from various organs had been preserved for chemical examination to determine the exact cause of death. “The final cause of death will be established after the chemical analysis report,” she said.