MARDAN: The police on Thursday claimed to have arrested a police constable allegedly involved in the murder of a Sikh couple.
Addressing a news conference, District Police Officer (DPO) Masood Ahmed said that on Wednesday, an unidentified accused had entered the Gurdwara located at Babu Mohalla in Khwaja Ganj Bazaar in the limits of Hoti Police Station and shot dead a Sikh couple, Jagannath, son of Hari Ram, and his wife, Asavanti.
The DPO said that immediately after the incident, a special investigation team was constituted, led by SSP investigation Maria Mustafa.He said modern investigation methods and various technical means, including geo-fencing, were used, which led to the arrest of the accused Sher Shah, son of Nader Shah, a resident of Iranabad.
The district police chief said that the arrested accused was a police constable who was recruited in the Police Department in 2011. He was posted on the security of the Sikh Gurdwara about 13 months ago.
According to the DPO, at the time of the incident, he was performing duty at the Police Lines, adding that the accused’s father was also an employee of the Police Department.The police chief said that the initial investigation did not find any evidence linking the accused with any banned, terrorist, or organized network.
He said that the 30 bore pistol used in the incident has been recovered from the possession of the accused, whose forensic examination had been completed.The official said the motorcycle used in the incident had been recovered from the accused, adding that further investigation was underway.
According to him, in the initial probe, the accused had expressed his personal stance on the incident, while the investigating authorities were continuing the investigation from various angles. The DPO said that, apparently, the incident may be the result of motives related to beliefs; however, the final opinion could be given only after the complete investigation.
