KARACHI: Three eyewitnesses on Friday identified a suspect as the one who involved in the murder of journalist Athar Mateen during a mugging attempt in North Nazimabad last month.

Associated with Samaa TV as senior producer, Mateen was shot dead by armed robbers on Feb 18.

Police booked and arrested Muhammad Ashraf alias Lamboo in the case.

On Friday, the investigating officer, Inspector Ibadat Ali Shah, produced the suspect before the judicial magistrate (Central) for his identification by eyewitnesses of the incident.

The IO moved an application requesting the magistrate to conduct the identification parade of the suspect by three eyewitnesses, whose names were not disclosed for security reasons.

After completing legal formalities, the magistrate lined up the suspect along with dummies and the witnesses rightly picked out him thrice as the accused who was involved in the killing of the journalist.

After conducting the parade, the magistrate remanded the suspect back in police custody.

Last week, the administrative judge of the antiterrorism courts had remanded him in police custody for interrogation till March 11.

According to the police, the detained suspect during interrogation disclosed to his involvement in the murder of Mateen.

The police seized a motorcycle left behind by the suspects, six empties fired from a .30 pistol along with video footage of a close circuit camera installed near the place of the incident.

Later, police killed suspect Anwar, a resident of Khuzdar, during an encounter in Qambar-Shahdadkot.

According to the prosecution, Mateen had witnessed two armed robbers trying to rob a passer-by. He accelerated his car and hit the robbers’ motorbike and they fell on the road. The muggers opened fire on him and escaped after snatching the motorbike of another passerby.

A case was registered under Sections 302 (premeditated murder), 393 (attempt to commit robbery), 397 (robbery or dacoity with attempt to cause death or grievous hurt) and 34 (common intention) of the Pakistan Penal Code read with Section 7 (punishment for acts of terrorism) of the Anti-Terrorism Act, 1997 at the North Nazimabad police station.

Published in Dawn, March 5th, 2022