Sindh Information Minister Saeed Ghani shared on Saturday that a suspect has been arrested in connection with the killing of Samaa TV journalist Athar Mateen who was shot dead by armed robbers during an alleged snatching bid in Karachi's North Nazimabad area earlier this month.
The suspect would be punished in accordance with the law, the minister said as he praised Sindh police for the manner in which they handled the investigation, saying it would increase citizens' trust in them.
The development was also confirmed by the deceased journalist's brother, Tariq Mateen, who told Samaa TV that officials had informed him that the other suspect would also be arrested soon.
The police have obtained technical details about the case which will be shared later, Tariq said.
Athar, who was associated with Samaa TV as senior news producer, was returning home on February 18 after dropping off his children at their school. As he reached Shah Medical Hospital, Block-A, near KDA Chowrangi, he witnessed two armed robbers trying to rob a passer-by. He accelerated his car and hit the motorbike of the robbers, who fell on the road.
The muggers opened fire at Mateen and escaped after snatching the motorbike of another person. The police have impounded the motorbike they had abandoned.
Gulberg SP Tahir Noorani said at the time that Athar, 42, suffered a single bullet wound in the chest and died on the way to a private hospital.
Prime Minister Imran Khan had condemned the "brutal murder" of the journalist and expressed sorrows with the grieved family. He had directed law enforcers to take every possible step to bring the culprits to justice.
Later, Karachi police chief Ghulam Nabi Memon had told Dawn that investigators had obtained "good clues" and made "some headway" to bring the culprits to justice.
"All I can say at this moment is that significant progress has been made in the case," he had said, without providing any further information.
Earlier this week, journalist bodies, including the Karachi Press Club, Karachi Union of Journalists and Karachi Union of Journalists (Dastoor), had protested outside the police headquarters demanding immediate arrests of Athar's killers.
