Law enforcement authorities investigating the suspected anthrax-laced letters sent to judges of the Islamabad High Court (IHC) and Supreme Court have uncovered that numerous CCTV cameras around the post boxes were non-functional when the envelopes were deposited. This revelation surfaced on Thursday.
On March 3, a day after the Supreme Court of Pakistan initiated suo motu proceedings regarding allegations made by six IHC judges against intelligence agencies, the IHC chief justice and eight other judges received letters suspected of containing anthrax.
The Counter Terrorism Department (CTD) of the Islamabad police is urgently gathering information and attempting to determine the chemical composition of the powdery substance found in the letters. These letters also contained threatening messages.
The investigation into the suspicious letters is being led by the CTD, and a progress report has been shared with the Registrars of the Supreme Court and the IHC.
Efforts are underway to examine post boxes in Satellite Town, Rawalpindi, with many surrounding CCTV cameras found to be inactive. Additionally, the Islamabad police are broadening the investigation by questioning individuals in the vicinity of the post boxes, including those working in nearby shops and offices. All personnel at the Satellite Town, Rawalpindi post office are also being scrutinized.
Sources reveal that the letters were sent by a woman named Resham, who did not provide her address. It’s reported that a staffer of a judge inadvertently dropped an envelope containing the suspicious substance and experienced severe eye irritation and skin burns around the lips afterward.
In response to the incident, the Islamabad Inspector General (IG) and Deputy Inspector General (DIG) of police were summoned to the IHC, and all suspicious letters were handed over to the police for further investigation.
Initially, eight judges of the Islamabad High Court received the suspicious letters, but later judges from the Lahore High Court and even the Supreme Court of Pakistan received similar mail.
