Teen arrested in murder case of friend

MARDAN: The police arrested a 17-year-old student in connection with themurder of his companion and recovered a pistol and mobile phone from him, a senior official said on Sunday.

Addressing a press conference, Superintendent of Police (SP), Investigation Saddar Circle, Fayaz Khan, said that Sartaj Khan, the father of the deceased Mazeen Ali, had reported his son missing on February 2.

Acting on the directives of District Police Officer (DPO) Zahoor Babar Afridi, an investigation team led by Station House Officer (SHO) Shafiullah Khan of Lundkhwar Police Station was assigned to trace the missing first-year student.

During the investigation, the police arrested Zaryab, a matriculation student and friend of the deceased. According to SP Fayaz Khan, the accused, who is a year younger than the victim, confessed to the crime during interrogation. The murder weapon, a pistol, was also recovered.

The SP said that there was a zero-tolerance policy against crime. He urged parents to maintain close communication with their children and to monitor their activities to prevent such incidents in the future.“The role of parents is crucial in ensuring the safety and well-being of their children,” he said, calling for a collective effort to curb rising crime rates in society.