Young man murdered by friend four days before wedding

Police on Sunday arrested a man over his alleged involvement in the kidnapping and the murder of his young friend in the Korangi area. The victim’s wedding was scheduled to be held on January 23.

According to details, the bullet-riddled body of a young man was found near Darul Uloom in the Korangi area on Friday night. The deceased was taken to the Jinnah Postgraduate Medical Centre, from where the body was moved to the morgue, where the victim’s family identified him on Sunday.

The deceased was identified as 22-year-old Osama Javed, son of Nabi Bakhsh, a resident of Korangi No. 1½. Police said the young man was shot at least four times in the face. They said the victim’s family had made arrangements for the Mehndi ceremony on Sunday.

Police suspect Osama’s friend Talha might be behind the murder because the two men were together on Friday night. They said they have taken Talha into custody and he has admitted to committing the crime.

Later, police also arrested two more suspects, identified as Ibad and Raheel. It is believed that Raheel had fired the shots, while according to some unconfirmed reports, the motive behind the murder was a dispute over blackmailing a girl.

A case has been registered on the complaint of the victim’s father at the Awami Colony police station. According to the FIR, Talha had driven Osama to the bride’s house for the Mayoon ceremony on Friday night.

The father said that when they returned home from the bride’s house, Osama was neither at home nor could he be reached through his phone. “My son Osama was picked up by his friend Talha in his car. He was the one who killed my son,” said the father, who is a rickshaw driver and has four children.

He said Talha recently befriended his son, adding that the family does not know the motive behind the murder. Police have impounded the car used in the incident and obtained samples of blood from the vehicle.

The victim’s funeral prayers were offered near his residence, and he was later laid to rest at a local graveyard. A large number of his family members and relatives attended the funeral, and demanded justice.