‘Murderer’ of journalist Zeba Burney arrested

SSP Mehar says repairman strangled her to death after he was caught stealing 

Police have claimed arresting the alleged killer of senior journalist Zeba Burney, who was found dead inside her Khudadad Colony apartment on the first day of Eidul Fitr.

Addressing a press conference on Saturday, SSP East Zulfiqar Mehar said the police had rounded up a suspect who, during the interrogation, admitted to killing the 65-year-old journalist. 

The suspect, identified as Kashif Jameel, was in Burney’s house to repair an air conditioner, which had developed a fault after a fire broke out in her apartment’s electricity meter a few days before Eidul Fitr, SSP Mehar said.

But the woman found out that the repairman was stealing her mobile phone, cash and jewellery, Mehar said, adding that the woman caught him red-handed and started shouting for help. 

The suspect told the police that when the woman started screaming for help, he strangled her to death with an electric wire.

Before escaping from the apartment, the repairman moved the body into the bedroom to cover up the murder as natural death.

SSP Mehar said the alleged killer had lived in the same building but he had to leave his apartment when he failed to pay the rent to the flat’s owner. 

The police officer said the repairman was arrested with the help of CCTV footage obtained from a camera installed at the entrance of Burney’s apartment. 

Mehar said Sindh Home Minister Suhail Anwar Siyal and Inspector General of Police (IGP) A D Khowaja had assured the journalist fraternity of action to solve the murder case at the earliest.

The Sindh police chief and Karachi Additional Inspector General of Police (AIGP) Mushtaq Mehar congratulated the investigation team and announced issuance of appreciation letters for the team members.

The Karachi Union of Journalist (KUJ) also thanked the provincial home minister, the police chief and SSP East Zulfiqar Mehar for showing progress in the murder case.

KUJ President Hassan Mansoor, general secretary Faheem Siddiqui and the central executive committee’s members requested the home minister and the IGP to issue an appreciation letter for the investigation team.

They maintained that the police should now submit sound evidence before the court to make sure that justice was served in the murder case. 

The slain journalist, Zeba Burney, served Urdu daily Nawa-i-Waqt for 30 years and also remained the incharge of its children’s and women pages. She left the newspaper in 2013.