A common friend of ‘missing’ SSP Mufakhar Adeel and lawyer Shahbaz Tatla told police investigators on Monday that the latter had been killed.

Since the crime scene was reportedly washed, police have not found any evidence of Tatla’s murder so far.

Asad Bhatti, who is being grilled in connection with the disappearance of his friends, however, gave the investigators some details about the SSP’s personal life. “Mufakhar has three wives. He had strained relations with his third wife, but these relations started normalising after the birth of their child,” Bhatti told investigators.

According to police, Shahbaz went missing in Lahore on February 7 and his brother lodged a case with Naseerabad police on February 10. There were reports that Mufakhar and Shahbaz were seen together before the kidnapping of the latter. The police officer joined the investigation into the kidnap of his lawyer friend and he himself ‘went missing’ two days later.

Last week, police claimed to have found new evidence in this case. According to sources, police investigators took laptops of both Mufakhar and Shahbaz into custody and got them decoded. The sources said that information found in laptops of the SSP and his friend showed they were involved in online purchase of drugs and had contacts with party girls.

Police also investigated some friends of Mufakhar and Shahbaz who confirmed they used to hold parties and take drugs at a Faisal Town house. As many closed-circuit cameras of the Punjab Safe Cities Authority were not working, police were facing difficulties in finding solid evidence in the case.

Mufakhar is currently serving as Punjab Constabulary Battalion Commander-I in Lahore. He has worked as Civil Lines Division SP in Lahore, SP (Security) at the Lahore High Court and deputy director at the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA).