ATC remands Mashal’s shooter, five others in police custody

MARDAN: The alleged shooter of Mashal Khan was presented in an anti-terrorism court (ATC) on Friday and was remanded in police custody for four days, along with five other suspects.

The other suspects included students Abbas, Suleman, Usman and university employees Shabir Ahmed and Nawab Ali. Police said the alleged shooter, a student of Abdul Wali Khan University (AWKU), was arrested on Thursday and identified as Imran, a classmate of Mashal in the Journalism Department.

"Two confessional statements mentioned the name of Imran, who shot had at Mashal," said DIG Mardan Alam Khan Shinwari. The culprit has confessed to the crime in front of the magistrate, he added.

On Friday, District Police Officer (DPO) Mardan Mian Saeed told the media five more suspects have been arrested in Mashal Khan's murder case, taking the number of arrested suspects to 47. He said 49 suspects had been identified in the lynching of Mashal Khan, of which 47 have been arrested. He said the remaining two are reportedly hiding in tribal areas.