MARDAN, Sept 29 Police arrested a prayer leader in Machi village on Tuesday and recovered a rocket launcher from his possession.

The prayer leader was identified as Maulana Mohammad Naseem, a resident of Laghman province of Afghanistan presently living in a mosque at Machi village near Rustam.

Sources said that police got information that the prayer leader was involved in militant activities and had explosive material. Some local residents also informed Rustam police that suspected persons were visiting the mosque and the prayer leader also seemed suspicious.

Police raided the mosque on Tuesday morning and arrested Maulana Naseem. The raiding party also recovered a rocket launcher from the mosque.

FOUR KILLED Four persons, including three women, were gunned down while one committed suicide in different areas of the district on Tuesday.

In first incident Noorshada Begum and her daughter Asiya Bibi were shot dead by their close relatives in Rustam village over a family issue.

Police said that Fida Khan and his brothers broke into the house of his mother-in-law in broad daylight and opened indiscriminate firing on the inmates. As a result his mother-in-law and her daughter were killed on the spot.

In the main bazaar of Chargulli village a woman, Mehertaj, was killed in crossfire between two groups led by Amjad Khan and his rival Siayar Khan. In another incident Saleem Khan, a resident of Bahako Dheri, was shot dead by his rival Bakhtiar Khan.

In Katti Garhi area a man identified as Khairul Bashar committed suicide by shooting himself with a pistol. The cause of the suicide could not be ascertained.