MARDAN, Jan 8: Three persons were arrested in connection with the killing of a local leader of Awami National Party, police said here on Saturday.

The district press secretary of ANP, Jehar Khan Hoti, was shot dead by unidentified motorcyclists here on Thursday morning when he was going to attend a jirga, convened for settling a dispute between two groups of villagers.

Police have formed a team comprising SP Gulzar Khan, SP Mir Qasim Khan, DSP Abdus Samad Khan and SHO of Par Hoti police station Shakeel Khan on the directives of chief minister to probe the incident.

Police said that the investigation team was working on different angles of the case. They said that they had arrested three suspected persons in connection with the murder but their names could not be disclosed owing to security reasons.

“The arrested persons are being interrogated and a breakthrough is expected in a day or two,” they added. However, police rejected involvement of militants in the killings of ANP leader.

They said that the team had carried out investigations on different aspects of the case but did not find any clue to involvement of militants so far. They said that real culprits would be exposed within few days.