Police work out journalist murder case

NOWSHERA: The police claimed to have resolved the mystery of the murder case of journalist Malik Hassan Zeb, who was gunned down in broad daylight in Akbarpura Bazaar in Nowshera district recently.

District Police Officer (DPO) Azhar Khan said that unidentified armed motorcyclists had shot dead journalist Malik Hassan Zeb, the reporter with Daily Aaj, in Akbarpura Bazaar, on July 14.

As the journalist along with his brother Anwar Zeb reached their shop in Akbarpura Bazaar, he added, unidentified masked bike riders opened indiscriminate fire on Malik Hassan Zeb. He sustained multiple bullet injuries and died on the way to the hospital.

The DPO said that the provincial government and Inspector General of Police Akhtar Hayat Khan had also taken notice of the case, which was investigated along modern lines to apprehend the killers.

He said that three investigation teams were constituted to probe the incident from various angles, including his domestic and business affairs and that of terrorism.The DPO said that the teams were headed by Superintendent of Police (Investigation) Alamzeb Khan while Deputy Superintendent of Police Pabbi Circle, Jawad Khan, and Akbarpura Police Station House Officer Niaz Muhammad were part of the teams to probe the case.

The police, he said, collected evidence, including 10 empty shells from the site, CCTV footage, and geo-fencing and mobile data of the slain journalist and were sent for forensic test to the laboratory.

Azhar Khan said the slain journalist had strained relations with the brothers of his first wife while a dispute over money of a plot was also running between him and one Muhammad Ashfaq.

The investigation team arrested Muhammad Ashfaq and his son Yasir, who divulged the facts. Ashfaq told the police that he had purchased a plot from the journalist and some payment was yet to be made.

He alleged that Hassan Zeb first beat up him and later took him to the hujra of one, Lal Sher, in Peshawar, where he was kept for a few days.Later, his son Muhammad Zohaib, who is stated to be a clerk in an academy in Risalpur, was also beaten up and then taken to the residence of Lal Sher.

The police said that the father and son were released after the assurance of property dealer Naeem.He accused the slain journalist of violating the sanctity of chadar and chaardiwari (privacy).

Anwar Zab, the brother of the slain journalist, nominated Muhammad Ashfaq, his son Muhammad Zohaib and an unidentified person for the murder in the court of Civil Judge-cum-Judicial Magistrate-I, Liaqat Khan Mohmand.SP (investigation) Alamzeb Khan said that they were conducting raids to apprehend the accused nominated in the murder.