LAHORE: Capital City Police Officer (CCPO) Fayyaz Ahmad Dev claimed on Saturday that hitmen were paid Rs500,000 to kill journalist Hasnain Shah.

Addressing a press conference at Police Lines Qila Gujjar Singh on Saturday, he said four suspects were arrested for killing a senior crime reporter of a private TV channel.

DIG Operations Dr Abid Khan, SSP Operations Mustansar Feroze, SSP Investigation Imran Kishwar and SP City Hafeezur Rehman Bugti were also present.

Hasnain Shah was shot dead by unidentified men near the Lahore Press Club, Shimla Pahari Chowk on Jan 24.

The CCPO said the latest technology and professional skills were used to trace and arrest the suspects

He said the journalist was killed over a financial dispute with a jeweller, Amir Butt, who had sought the help of his brother, Shahid Butt, and a friend, Farhan Shah, for the murder. He said Farhan Shah had arranged four persons, including two hitmen, to kill the journalist.

Mr Dev said the main suspect, Amir Butt, had done the planning while his accomplices, Haider Shah and Amjad Pasha, had conducted a recce and provided vehicle and weapons to the shooters who later killed Hasnain Shah and fled. He said three different teams were constituted to trace and arrest the suspects.

Published in Dawn, January 30th, 2022