PESHAWAR: The local police on Tuesday formed a three-member committee to investigate the murder of trader leader Haji Mohammad Haleem Jan.

Mr. Jan was killed by an unidentified gunman in his shop in the historic Qissa Khawni Bazaar of the city on Tuesday noon.

Peshawar SSP (operations) Abbas Majeed Marwat told Dawn that he headed the three-member probe team, which had SSP (investigation) and SP (investigation) as members.

He said the city police had registered an FIR of the killing late on Monday on the complaint of the SHO Khan Raziq police station.

The SSP said the family of the deceased had sought the registration of FIR and therefore, the police registered the case under Section 302 of the Pakistan Panel Code and Section 7 of the Anti-Terrorism Act.

He said the police were investigating the case from three angles.

“We are examining whether the murder was motivated by some extortion demand, was a targeted killing, or was caused by some other reason,” he said.

Mr. Marwat said the police had secured footages from CCTV cameras installed in the area, where the murder took place.

“The attacker seems to be a man aged between 18 and 19 years. He’s clean-shaven and held pistol on his back to hide it,” he said.

The SSP said the records of the deceased’s cellphone were also being examined to see if he’d received any death threats lately. He said the police had made no arrests in connection with the murder but two suspects were being quizzed.

Mr. Marwat said the probe team would interview witnesses and examine footages of CCTV cameras.

He said if the motive behind the murder turned out to be extortion or targeted killing, then the police’s counter-terrorism department would investigate the case otherwise the city police would look into it.

Published in Dawn, February 11th, 2016