LAHORE, Dec 2: Four youths killed owner of a private college and attempted to kill his wife at his house along Asad Jan Road in Cantonment on Sunday.

The youths — identified as Imran, Salman, Irfan and Ehsan — were rusticated from a private college in Garden Town for their “involvement in enrolling other students on fake fee receipts and other documents of the institution.”

Family claimed that Syed Shahid Hamid, the college owner, held an inquiry against the students and rusticated them despite all threats.

Cantonment police SP Dr Usman told Dawn that the four students stormed into the house and tied up Mr Shah with ropes. He claimed that on resistance the intruders thrashed Mr Shah’s wife Yusra, who is one of the directors of the college, and tried to shot at her but the gun did not work. Yusra fell unconscious. The four youngsters collected cash and gold ornaments worth Rs60,000 and stabbed Mr Shah, killing him on the spot.

Later, the youngsters drove away in a car parked in the house. The SP claimed that two of the alleged killers, Imran and Salman, were arrested at a police picket in Manga Mandi when they were taking the car out of Lahore.

On the identification of the two arrested youths, a house was raided in Block K of Gulberg and their four accomplices were taken into custody.

The youths — identified as Irfan, Ehsan, Rashid and Ghazanfar — had allegedly been involved in carjacking and other crimes against property, the SP alleged. He claimed that more revelations were expected.

However, the accused told reporters in police custody that they had information that Mr Shah had Rs4.5 million at his house. “We were after that money besides settling score with Mr Shah,” they said.

Meanwhile, the body was sent to the city mortuary for autopsy. Doctors said that Mr Shah had sustained five stab wounds. A case was registered against the arrested accused.