SUKKUR: Police on Friday claimed to have arrested a prime suspect, who carried head money of Rs2 million, in the triple murder case of members of a Chandio family who were gunned down in an attack on their residence in Mehar town on Jan 17, 2018.

Kandhkot-Kashmore SSP Amjad Shaikh told reporters that Kashmore police took action after receiving a tip-off and nabbed the absconder Murtaza Chandio in border area of Sindh-Balochistan near Kashmore when he was trying to flee towards Punjab.

He praised Kashmore police for the second “big success” within months in catching another suspect in the triple murder who had been absconding since. Police had earlier arrested yet another suspect, Zulfiqar Chandio, in December last year who carried Rs1m bounty on his head. He too had been at large for two years before the law caught up with him, he said.

Pakistan Peoples Party leader and chairman of Baldai union council Raees Karamullah Chandio, his two sons Mukhtiar Chandio and Qabil Chandio were killed in the attack on their residence in Ahmed Colony, close to the office of deputy superintendent of police and local police station, in Mehar town on Jan 17, 2018. One of the attackers was also killed in retaliatory fire.

Pervaiz Ahmed Chandio, a surviving son of late Karamullah, lodged the FIR and nominated as suspects PPP lawmaker and chieftain of Chandio tribe Nawab Sardar Ahmed Chandio, his younger brother and former adviser to Sindh chief minister Nawab Burhan Khan Chandio, Murtaza Chandio, Ali Gohar Chandio, Sikandar Chandio, Zulfiqar Chandio and Ghulam Qadir alias Qadoo, who was killed in the attack.

Declared prime suspect, he had been at large since Jan 17, 2018 and carried head money of Rs2m

Pervaiz had accused in the FIR the two influential brothers of complicity in the attack on their residence and murder of his three close relatives.

Later, Pervaiz’s cousin Umme Rubab Chandio, who was daughter of late Mukhtiar Chandio, moved Supreme Court after Sindh police failed to arrest the absconding suspects in the case and at the same time launched a protest campaign to seek support of civil society and political and nationalist parties in helping her bring all the culprits to justice.

During the course of protest campaign, Umme Rubab alleged that her family’s rivals were issuing her threats to scare her into stopping the campaign and pursuing the case.

SSP Amjad Shaikh said that police had taken action in pursuance of Supreme Court orders to Sindh police to arrest all the accused involved in the triple murder.

He said that Murtaza Chandio, who had eluded arrest since the triple murder incident, was among the seven suspects nominated in the FIR. PPP lawmaker Nawab Sardar Ahmed Chandio and his younger brother Nawab Burhan Khan Chandio were on bail. Three of the suspects Ali Gohar Chandio, Sattar Chandio and Sikandar Chandio were arrested immediately after the murder incident and the remaining two Murtaza Chandio and Zulfiqar Chandio had been absconding since then, said the SSP.

Kashmore police arrested Zulfiqar in December last year and caught up with Murtaza on Friday, he said.

Published in Dawn, February 20th, 2021