KARACHI: A police officer, said to be a close aide to fugitive SP Rao Anwar, and a constable were on Monday arrested for their alleged involvement in the Naqeebullah Mehsud murder case.

Two senior police officers told Dawn on the condition of anonymity that former Malir DSP Qamar Ahmed and a constable, whom they identified with his alias Guddu, were arrested in the case pertaining to the killing of the South Waziristan youngster in a staged encounter on Jan 13.

They added that DSP Ahmed had “confessed” that he was present during the alleged encounter that took place in Shah Latif Town. His call data record also suggested that he was present there.

The constable also ‘confessed’ to have arranged sub-machine guns, later used in the killing of Naqeeb with three others in the ‘encounter’.

A police inquiry team comprising three senior police officers had concluded that it was a fake encounter and Naqeeb had nothing to do with militancy.

Sources said that the call data record of three mobile phones used by former Malir SSP Rao Anwar showed how he contacted his officers on the day of the “encounter”. This established the presence of DSP Qamar on the spot.

The calls’ data also showed that Rao Anwar was in constant touch with a media person for the live coverage of the “encounter”, said an officer.

Published in Dawn, February 20th, 2018