Former Punjab Police Chief's Son Dies Under Mysterious Circumstances: Family Conspiracy or Drug Overdose?

Former Punjab Police chief Mohammed Mustafa has alleged a conspiracy to frame his family following the mysterious death of his 33-year-old son Aqil Akhtar.

In an exclusive interview with NDTV, Mustafa welcomed the Special Investigation Team (SIT) established to investigate the circumstances surrounding his son's death, stating, "The police are duty bound to file FIR especially in high-profile cases. They will later check if the allegations are true or false."

Mustafa expressed awareness of his family's public profile and the potential for rivals to exploit the situation. "I knew we were so-called high-profile individuals. I also know the dirty deeds that our rivals can do and the extent to which they can go," he remarked.

Last week, Aqil Akhtar was found unconscious at his Panchkula residence and later pronounced dead at a hospital. The family attributed his death to a drug overdose.

Questioning the credibility of complainant Shamsuddin, Mustafa clarified, "My house is in an isolated place and I have no neighbours. How is he my neighbour then? In 25 years, he met me in 2019 when a case was filed against him for bank fraud."

The case has taken an unexpected turn with the emergence of videos recorded by Aqil, in which he alleged his father was having an affair and claimed his mother Razia Sultana and sister were conspiring against him.

Despite cultural reservations about post-mortem examinations, Mustafa insisted on the procedure. "People don't like postmortem, especially among Muslims. Even my family objected to it. But I told them my son's video was viral and people took advantage, so I will get the postmortem done."

The preliminary report indicated a suspected overdose with injection marks on both arms, with samples taken for forensic investigation.

Mustafa revealed his son's 18-year struggle with substance abuse, which began with "soft drugs" and escalated over time. "He became very aggressive over time. There are also documented cases, which are part of the Punjab Police record."

Describing multiple incidents of violence, Mustafa recounted, "One day my son set my room on fire. He was high on something. Our cook was injured and was taken to hospital. That day too we had reported it to the police. He was deep into drugs."

In one of Aqil's videos, he claimed his family was portraying him as "mad" to protect their image and pleaded for help. However, in another recording, he retracted these allegations, attributing them to his schizophrenia before suddenly questioning if his family would "get him killed."

Mustafa referenced an additional video where his son acknowledged his family's support: "In that video, my son is heard saying his family kept him alive, that had he been in any other family, he would have been kicked out a long time again."

Deputy Commissioner of Police Srishti Gupta confirmed that authorities initially did not suspect foul play in Aqil's death. The investigation began after receiving a complaint and discovering concerning social media posts that raised suspicions.

Razia Sultana, Mustafa's wife and a former Congress legislator, served as a cabinet minister in Punjab from 2017-2022 before losing her seat in the 2022 state elections.