The mysterious death of Islamabad Police Superintendent (SP) Adeel Akbar has raised serious questions after initial forensic findings suggested he was shot with a submachine gun (SMG) from an unusual angle, sources said on Saturday.

According to police and forensic sources, the bullet that fatally struck SP Adeel Akbar was fired from an SMG rather than a pistol, with the gunshot angle recorded at about 65 degrees — a position experts say would be difficult to achieve in a self-inflicted shooting, especially in the presence of two subordinates.

The officer’s driver and operator, who were both present at the scene, have been taken into custody for questioning, while the police continue to examine the circumstances of the shooting and the sequence of events inside the vehicle.

Sources said SP Adeel Akbar’s operator has recorded his initial statement, revealing that the officer was on his way to meet officials at the Establishment Division regarding his promotion when he received a phone call at 4:23pm.

The operator stated that SP Akbar first visited the Foreign Office to verify some documents, returned to the car, and later, after another phone call, asked for his weapon.

“I removed the magazine and handed over the gun to SP Akbar. During a routine security check, he asked if the gun was functional and then requested the magazine, asking how many bullets it contained. I told him it had 50 rounds,” the operator said in his statement.

The operator added that after handing the magazine to AP Akbar, he loaded it into the gun.

Moments later, a sudden gunshot was heard — the bullet hit SP Akbar in the forehead, exited through the back of his head, and he died on the spot, he added.

The operator further said in his statement that he immediately informed the control room, reporting that “the SP has accidentally fired a shot,” after which the driver rushed the vehicle towards PIMS Hospital.

Police investigators are now focusing on the phone calls made to the officer before his death, as well as the forensic evidence from the vehicle.

Experts have also pointed out that SP-level officers are generally not trained in handling submachine guns, raising further doubts about the incident being a suicide.