TAXILA: Hazro police on Saturday claimed to have arrested the main suspect in two murder cases while the search for the rest was under way.

District Police Officer Khalid Hamdani told reporters on Saturday that a former councilor Shahnawaz was shot dead by two hired assassins on Hazro-Gondal Road on Sept 25 last year when he was coming back after visiting a doctor in Hazro police area.

While in the second incident, the DPO said a Suzuki van driver identified as Ehsan Ali was shot dead in Syedan village on Dec 22 when he was going to his house.

The DPO said police resolved the two murders by utilising mobile phone technology and traditional methods of investigation and arrested the mastermind.

He said during interrogation the main suspect had confessed to having committed the murders by hiring assassins from Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.

He said he killed Shahnawaz over some land dispute and Ehsan Ali over his affair with a girl he also liked her.

He said that police had recovered weapon utilized in the second murder and launched a search for the remaining suspects.

He said in March police had busted three different robbers’ gangs and arrested their 11 members and recovered looted items worth Rs20.85 million besides foiling bids to smuggle 7kg opium and 160kg charas from KP to Punjab through Attock.

He further revealed that district Police also nabbed 20 proclaimed offenders wanted in different cases like murder and attempted murders and 21 court offenders.

Published in Dawn, April 5th, 2020