"Being a seasoned doctor, it took me a few seconds to perceive what had caused Angeline’s death." - A topic that I introduced in our O' Level final year class last Friday. The story being featured here was authored by Ahmed Ali, a brilliant soul who most certainly is --- our HOPE. A compellingly believable story, indeed. Let me call it a 'mind-blowing stuff', isn't it? See for yourself.

Being a seasoned doctor, it took me a few seconds to perceive what had caused Angeline’s death.

But once I was a very famous forensic officer in the Police.

At the apex of my career, I was being sought for the most complex cases. I was even awarded the prestigious Nishan-e-Pakistan, the highest civil award in Pakistan, for my immaculate work in a high-profile murder case in which I steered the whole investigation away from the erroneous path leading it most audaciously to seizing justice for the victim in the long run.

Here, I quote the details of that case to the best of my memory, though pretty tough job for me now as my memory has slightly weakened over the years.

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It was December 1974, if I am getting it right. On a chilly, overcast morning, I was struggling to drive through the thick fog as manifestly prevalent all around. The guards at the entrance of the Diplomatic Enclave promptly allowed me in. As I parked in front of the USSR Embassy, I noticed a crowd of journalists; some covering the story live, others scribbling notes on the tear pads.

“Angeline Mikhailovic, the eldest child of the Soviet Ambassador, Miss Alexei Mikhailovic had committed suicide last night. Her close friends had stated that she was bearing the trauma of being rejected by her boyfriend, who is also......”, a reporter was hastily blurting out, on the camera. I tried to shake this reckless commentary out of my mind, so I could look at the case from no-man’s-land.

On seeing my ID, a constable escorted me in, to the crime scene. Members of my forensic team were already busy taking fingerprints. From the ceiling fan, a female body hung with a rope noose around her neck. I motioned a constable to get her down onto the bed, to which he complied immediately. As the body was kept untouched until now, I was content that no evidence had been destroyed. Quite fleetingly, the ASI, who was responsible for the investigation approached me.

“Sir, it is a clear case of suicide. I suggest you kindly fulfil the formalities quickly. Mr. Mikhailovic wants the body buried in an hour. It has really brought disgrace upon him”, he apprised me with a sad shake of the head.

“Let me do my work first, and I would appreciate your silence while I work” I replied in a stern sounding tone.

“Sure sir, sure”, he stuttered, and then fidgeted aside.

I started examining the body. It was obvious to me that she had died somewhere around midnight while all others were fast asleep. Ever since I had seen her facial expression, I had developed a pinch of suspicion in my sceptic mind. It looked as if she was protesting frantically at the time of her death. The bulging, horrified eyes, the mottled face, the fresh scar on her right cheek, messed up hair --- it just didn’t seem right. Together these evidences gave an impression of something very fishy that needed to be dug out with all our professional earnestness.

I had seen other suicidal cases in which the deceased had a sort of peace and calmness on their faces, as if everything had happened according to their will. But Angeline’s expressions were different. My instinct, my sixth sense whispered to me it was not suicide, but a murder.

On a closer examination, the remaining jigsaw started unfolding further. I successfully spotted grooves on her throat caused by forceful pressing of hands. Being a seasoned doctor, it took me a few seconds to perceive what had caused Angeline’s death. More than obviously, the poor girl had been slain by blockage of the windpipe with none other than human hands, and was then hanged to the ceiling as an effort to deceiving the investigators in thinking it was a suicide.

I ordered my forensic colleagues to collect fingerprints from her throat, and told the ASI to unearth who they belonged to. I quickly made a comprehensive report including all the evidences of murder, submitted that with my superiors and drove back home to enjoy an exhilarating cricket match between India and Pakistan. The whole affair was four hours long.

The following day saw it all over the news. I was being acknowledged everywhere and as I realized had become a VIP figure overnight.

Sooner than later, the murderer was identified. It was none other than Gul Khan, the steward of the house.

Gul Khan was a substantially educated man belonging to the tribal areas. He told the press that he had done so to exact revenge for the killing of his whole family in Afghanistan at the hands of Soviets. He had no regrets. The killer was sentenced to death the very following week.

By:
Ahmed Ali
O' level Final Year
PakTurk Schools Islamabad Branch

Ahmed Ali