ISLAMABAD, Jan 26: The main accused in the murder case of a former advocate general of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa has been taken into custody in Dubai on the request of the Islamabad police, sources told Dawn.

Mohammad Sardar Khan, 74, a native of Peshawar, was killed in an ambush at Ibne Seena Road, Sector G-11/2, on February 3, 2010.

Five persons were nominated in the murder case with Roohullah being the main accused. Roohullah allegedly plotted the murder after Mr Khan, the counsel for his opponent, turned down his offer of money for losing the case he was fighting against Peshawar Development Authority (PDA) in the Peshawar High Court.

The 168 kanals the lawyer had been pursuing for his client in PHC was said to be worth billions of rupees and located in five areas including Hayatabad and Saddar in Peshawar.

Scores of raids at the residence and hideouts of Roohullah in Peshawar and its adjacent areas remained unsuccessful as the Peshawar police allegedly tipped the accused about the action under pressure from a politician who is said to be the friend of Roohullah’s father. The sources said the politician also provided the accused shelter for a few weeks in one of his houses before he fled to Dubai.

The alleged killer was traced due to effective efforts made by Crime Investigation Agency (CIA) Deputy Superintendent of Police (DSP) Chaudhry Shafiq, who mounted intelligence and surveillance at Kabul International Airport, and Inspector Zulfiqar of investigation wing, the sources added.

On Tuesday, DSP Shafiq was informed by immigration staff at Kabul Airport that the man wanted to the capital police was traveling to Dubai. They also provided the flight and seat number of the passenger along with the arrival time at the Dubai airport. The deputy superintendent of police immediately informed his senior officers who requested the Dubai immigration authorities to take the passenger into custody upon his arrival there.

After taking the passenger in custody, the Dubai immigration staff informed the capital police and asked for all the documents to establish his Pakistani citizenship and involvement in the murder, the sources said, adding SP investigation wing Tahir Ayub was asked to fly to Dubai along with all the relevant documents and case file.

Sources said the accused was using an Afghan passport with the details of his cousin - Fazal Ahmad Khan - for traveling abroad despite the fact that both were the citizens of Pakistan and hailed from KP.

In October 2010, the presence of Roohullah was unearthed in Dubai when the investigates intercepted a phone call from Dubai to the accused’s family, and SP investigation traveled there to arrest him along with his red warrant obtained from International Police (Interpol).

However, his name was not found in the passengers’ record available with the Dubai immigration.

The investigators traced the number which was issued against the details of one Karim Khan, a taxi driver, in Dubai. During interrogation, the driver told the police that a passenger who remained his client for three days made the call to his hometown and introduced himself as Fazal Ahmad Khan, an Afghan national. When the investigators showed him the photos of Roohullah, he identified him as Fazal Ahmad Khan.

In December 2010, the investigators, with the help of Peshawar police, took Fazal Ahmad Khan, a government official attached with Public Works Department Peshawar, into their custody for interrogation regarding the Afghan passport.