Rehan Ashraf Died of Single Neck Gunshot, Postmortem Finds

Key Points

A single firearm entry wound on the right side of the neck, measuring 4x3cm, with no burning, blackening or tattooing
The bullet damaged the trachea, heart, left lung and a major chest blood vessel; it lodged in the chest wall and could not be retrieved
Cause of death: damaged vital organs and haemorrhagic shock; death followed the injury within minutes
Autopsy conducted at DHQ Hospital on Oct 18; final report issued on Oct 22

FAISALABAD: Industrialist Muhammad Rehan Ashraf died within minutes of a single firearm injury to the neck that damaged his trachea, heart, lung and a major blood vessel, the final postmortem report has concluded.

The final report (PM-167-AH-26), signed by DHQ Hospital Medical Officer Dr Abdul Ahad Aziz and issued on Oct 22, records that the autopsy was conducted at 8:45am on Oct 18, hours after the body was received at 12:50am.

The body, brought by Sadar police, was identified by two cousins of the deceased.

The examination found a single injury: an entry wound of a firearm projectile on the right side of the neck, measuring 4x3cm and lying 6cm below the right ear and 9cm from the chin. The report recorded no burning, blackening or tattooing around the wound.

On dissection, the projectile was found to have damaged the soft tissue, trachea, heart and left lung and a major blood vessel of the chest cavity. Despite the utmost effort, the bullet could not be retrieved, though an X-ray identified it in the chest wall.

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The rest of the examination found the brain, spine and abdominal organs intact, with no injury or fracture to the limbs. The deceased wore a blood-soaked white bunyan and a blood-stained grey shalwar kameez, the report said.

In his opinion, the medical officer wrote that injury No 1 led to damaged vital organs and haemorrhagic shock and was sufficient to cause death in the ordinary course of nature. The injury was ante-mortem and inflicted with a firearm, he added.

The report estimates the time between injury and death at a few minutes and the time between death and the postmortem at eight to 12 hours. The stitched body, the last-worn clothes and the report with its X-ray were handed over to police.

Ashraf, 37, a resident of Samanabad, died in the shooting that took place in the Sadar police limits on Oct 18. Police are investigating the killing, which raised questions over the city’s Safe City camera network.