Shahrukh Jatoi, the main accused in the Shahzeb Khan murder case, is an adult, a medical board established on Saturday. According to the board, Jatoi’s age is above 19 years.
Jatoi’s age has been established from his birth certificate.
The birth certificate states his date of birth as November 27, 1993. Jatoi was born at a private hospital, according to a private TV channel.
Jatoi is accused of killing Shahzeb, the 20-year-old son of a police officer, in the upscale Defence neighbourhood of Karachi on December 25, 2012, over a petty dispute.
Earlier the reports of Jatoi’s bone tests and a physical inspection declared him a minor, or under 18 years, and hence eligible for juvenile prison. But these assessments were rejected by the court, asserting that police surgeon Dr Jalil Qadri was not eligible to pronounce Jatoi a minor between the age of 17 and 18 years. Dr Qadri was asked to explain himself but he fled the scene. Consequently, the provincial heath department assigned the job to six other doctors.
The prime suspect had slipped away from the country to evade arrest after the murder, and was escorted back by the police after getting deported from Dubai. He was pointed out as the alleged killer by witnesses during an identification parade.
