ISLAMABAD: Two persons were arrested over their alleged involvement in the murder of an army officer in the capital last month, said the police.

One of the suspects is an Afghan national and the other is a native of the tribal area. They were residing in a slum located in Golra, the police said.

Maj Mohammad Laraib of the Special Services Group (SSG) was stationed in Attock. He had come to Islamabad on an official duty and after finishing it was meeting a friend in G-9 when he was murdered on Nov 21.

Police officials said two suspicious mobile phone numbers were picked during the geo-fencing of the crime spot as they were found switched off since the incident.

The investigators collected details of the persons on whose names the numbers had been issued and through vigilance traced them to Golra. After their arrest, the suspects were shifted to Karachi Company police station for further legal process.

The officials said the suspect belonging to the tribal area had a criminal record and was arrested by Shalimar police in the past while details about the other were being collected.

The officials said the killer had taken away the victim’s wallet but neither his brother nor the eyewitness, the officer’s friend, had informed the police about it.

But during the examination of CCTV footage, the investigators found that the army officer had the wallet which was missing after his murder.

The footage showed him buying coffee from a bakery at G-9 and after paying the bill putting it into his pocket. The purse is missing and there is the possibility that the killer might have taken it away.

So far, it is a murder case and if the police find any trace of robbery in the incident the relevant section of the law will be add to the FIR, the officials added.

Meanwhile, the police announced the arrest at a press conference and stated that Major Laraib was murdered by two street criminals who had been arrested following hard work by two investigation teams.

Published in Dawn, December 6th, 2019