Landlord allegedly shot dead by hotel contractor in Islamabad

Killing in Sitara Market prompts traders to burn tyres, block road around market


Traders began protesting around Sitara Market after news of the killing had spread. PHOTOS: MUDASSAR RAJA/EXPRESS

ISLAMABAD: The owner of a building in Sitara Market was shot dead inside a hotel in the establishment just before dusk on Friday.

Police said that Chaudhry Nisar, the owner of Sitara building, which houses Star Hotel, had gone to the hotel to speak to the contractors running it.

An officer said that Nisar had a dispute with Shakil Abbasi, Wajid and Waqas, the contractors who were running the establishment on rent.

Revenge killing: Man shot dead near Eidgah

On Friday, the hotel owner had gone to the hotel hoping to evict the contractors and retake control of the building, but instead, an unknown number of gunmen shot him dead before fleeing. Officials said Nisar had been shot four times.

While the killers managed to escape, police suspected that the murder was motivated by a business dispute between Nisar and the contractors, adding that soon after the incident, all three contractors – who hailed from Murree — had disappeared along with their families.

“The deceased had issues with the people running his hotel. The hotel operators have fled,” a senior police officer said.

Officials said raids were being conducted and arrests were imminent. However, nobody had been arrested till the filing of this report on Friday evening. After the incident, traders in Sitara Market held a protest demonstration against the murder.

They blocked the road and burnt tyres, demanding that the police apprehend the killers and protect the lives of traders and businessmen.

Interior Minister Chaudhry Nisar Ali Khan has also directed the police to arrest the killers at the earliest. The Islamabad Police constituted a special team to track and arrest the culprits.



Not an isolated incident

The murder on Friday evening was the second murder recorded in 24 hours. Late on Thursday, 34-year-old Faraqat Hussain was gunned down by unidentified motorcyclists near Tramri Chowk.

Despite the passage of 24 hours, Koral police are still clueless about that case.

Also on Thursday, the police said that a gardener working on the greenbelt near Faizabad interchange had discovered the body of a 24-year-old man under a tree.

Industrial Area SHO inspector Khalid Awan suspected that the man was a drug addict and may have died due to an overdose as a syringe was still attached to his arm. The body has not been identified yet, but police said they had temporarily buried it.

Published in The Express Tribune, December 10th, 2016.

COMMENTS

Replying to X

Comments are moderated and generally will be posted if they are on-topic and not abusive.

For more information, please see our Comments FAQ