LAHORE, April 14: After the Burki police lodged an FIR in connection with the daylight murder of a real estate agent in Pangali village late on Wednesday, the investigation police on Thursday launched a search for the accused, who were earlier nominated in the murder case of the victim’s younger brother. However, no arrest was made so far.

The victim’s family fear the presence of people linked with the murderers in the village.

The daylight killing sparked a protest as scores of people on Wednesday blocked the main Burki Road after 45-year-old Haji Altaf Husain, a father of three, was shot dead by four armed people over property and litigation disputes.

“The suspects, led by Fiaz Yousaf, had left their houses in the village a few days before killing Altaf,” Cantonment SP (Investigation) Amin Bokhari told Dawn on Thursday.

He said Altaf, who was pursuing the case of his younger brother Salahuddin murdered in 2008, had nominated Fiaz, his father Yousaf Commander and brother Ejaz. The accused, however, were declared innocent in two investigations - last conducted by the Cantt CIA police, he added.

He said it was alleged in yesterday’s FIR that the killers had nursed a grudge against Altaf for including names of sons of Yousaf Commander in case files being investigated by the Cantt CIA.

Burki investigation in-charge inspector Abdullah Pasha said complainant Suleman Saeed, Altaf’s maternal uncle, had nominated Fiaz, Tariq, Adnan and Asif and their unidentified accomplice in the light of witnesses’ account under sections 302, 109, 148 and 149 of the PPC.

He said some suspects were also relatives of Altaf who was buried in the village graveyard after autopsy on Thursday.

Complainant Suleman Saeed told this reporter that Yousaf, Muhammad Tariq and Altaf had jointly started property business four years ago but after the murder of Salahuddin in 2008 and nomination of Yousaf’s sons in the investigation process, their partnership broke.

He said a dispute on a few kanal plot, which was owned by Altaf and was illegally occupied by Yousaf and Tariq, also led to the enmity.

He alleged that the CIA police got cleared the suspects in Salahauddin murder case terming them innocent, saying the FIR was lodged against unidentified people.

Altaf, who had survived a few life attempts before his murder, kept complaining about life threats to his family and requesting the then CIA SP to indict Yousaf and his sons in the murder of his brother but no action was taken, Suleman added. — MUHAMMAD FAISAL ALI