Police claim arresting hired killers of religious scholar in Jauhar

The chief of the East Range police, Deputy Inspector General (DIG) Muqadas Haider, on Saturday announced the arrest of two suspects involved in the recent murder of Maulana Sufi Abdul Qayyum in Gulistan-e-Jauhar.

In a media briefing at the East SSP Office, DIG Haider said the suspects involved in the killing of the religious scholar, the case of which was registered under the sections 302/34 at the Gulistan-e-Jauhar police station, had been arrested.

After the incident, the East DIG had formed various teams under the supervision of the East SSP to arrest the perpetrators. The team including the Gulistan-e-Jauhar SHO as a member, with the help of intelligence agencies, succeeded in tracing and arresting the suspects with the help of CCTV footage and technical assistance.

DIG Haider informed the media that the arrested men had been identified as Ali Akbar, alias Shahid, and Tanveer. The law enforcers also seized weapons used in the crime along with mobile phones and a motorcycle from their possession.

The DIG explained that the murder was committed over a plot dispute. He added that the arrested men were target killers who were hired by the rival party to kill Maulana Qayyum. They were initially paid Rs250,000 and more amount was promised to them after the killing, the officer added.

He said the suspect Akbar had been involved in targeted killings for a political party in the past, and both the arrested men had earlier been arrested by the police for similar crimes.

The DIG said raid were under way for the arrest of those who had paid the suspects for killing the scholar.