SUKKUR: Police on Monday claimed to have arrested two more suspects in the murder case of senior journalist Jan Mohammad Mahar.

Mr Mahar was shot dead by unknown assailants who showered his car with a volley of fire when it was passing by the St. Saviour School on Queens Road in Sukkur late in the night intervening Aug 13 and 14. The main suspect, Shero Mahar, nominated in the case remains at large but several of his associates, some of them named in the FIR, have been arrested or detained.

On Monday, police claimed arrest of Shero’s nephew, Ismail Mahar, and a person (not identified) who was accompanying him.

Sukkur SSP Irfan Ali Soomro told the media that the two suspects were caught during a ‘targeted operation’ in the riverine area of Shah Bela, on the outskirts of Sukkur district. Raids were being conducted at various places during the ongoing operation to apprehend more suspects, the SSP said.

One identified as nephew of prime suspect, Shero Mahar

He said that a camp had been pitched in Shah Belo to monitor movement of the suspects, believed to be involved in the murder, and supervise the police operation.

The police officer, referring to intelligence reports, said that the suspects were hiding in the dacoit-infested riverine area to escape arrest. The raiding teams riding armoured personnel carriers (APCs) were making their way into the area to overrun dacoit’s hideouts, he added.

The exact motive behind the murder of the senior journalist, who was associated with a Sindhi newspaper and its TV channel, is yet to be ascertained.

Mr Mahar’s murder had sent a wave of shock and anger among civil society, especially the journalist community. A sustained campaign launched by the protesters in many cities and towns of Sindh soon after the murder continued for several months after the incident.

Published in Dawn, December 19th, 2023