The family of former Punjab DGP Muhammad Mustafa is facing turmoil following the death of his son, Akeel Akhtar. Mustafa has disclosed that his grandson fell into depression after witnessing the alleged torture of his mother by Aqil, revealing years of underlying family issues related to drug addiction.
“My grandson (Akeel’s son) went into depression seeing how his mother was tortured by my son,” Mustafa told TOI, dismissing allegations of foul play in Aqil’s death.
Akeel Akhtar, 35, was found dead under mysterious circumstances at his residence in Haryana’s Panchkula on October 16.
“No external injuries were found in the post-mortem, and the viscera was sent for further examination,” DCP Srishti Gupta was quoted by the newspaper as saying.
Initially, police and the family suspected a drug overdose but the case took a turn when social media videos surfaced, purportedly showing Akeel accusing his father, stepmother, and other family members of plotting against him.
On October 17, a complaint was filed by Shamshuddin Chaudhary of Malerkotla, who alleged foul play and shared the videos with the media. Following this, a FIR was registered under sections 103(1) (murder) and 61 (criminal conspiracy) at MDC police station in Panchkula, and a SIT has been constituted to conduct a “deep and scientific probe” into all aspects of the case.
Mustafa told TOI, “I welcome registration of the FIR and setting up of a SIT. That is the first step police ought to follow. I have nothing to hide. Based on a post-mortem conducted by police, it was said that death was due to drug overdose. I also suspect the same. He was into it (drugs) for a long time and used to say many things. No doubt, he spoke those things in the video under the influence of drugs.”
According to the report, Akeel’s another video surfaced in which he allegedly recanted his earlier claims, saying he had made them due to mental illness.
“It was all due to my mental illness. I was suffering from schizophrenia. Thanks to Allah, my family members are the way they are. I am better now. I want to say sorry unconditionally,” he said, adding, “Let’s see what happens…they get me killed or not.”
Police said they will examine Akeel’s diary, social media posts, mobile phone, and the viscera report to ensure a thorough and impartial investigation.
The family is currently at their native place in Saharanpur, where Akeel’s last rites were held. DCP Gupta added, “The investigation shall be conducted with an open mind and without any prejudice, ensuring that no guilty person is spared and no innocent person suffers.”
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