Without tracing hitmen, police claim solving journalist’s murder

Lahore CCPO says the incident was result of financial dispute between Hasnain Shah and owner of a jewellery store

LAHORE:

Lahore police claimed to have solved the murder case of crime reporter Hasnain Shah without tracing the assailants directly involved in the assassination carried out in broad daylight outside the Lahore Press Club earlier this week.

The police presented four handcuffed suspects before the media at a press conference held at District Police Lines Qila Gujjar Singh on Saturday and claimed that the murder was a result of financial dispute between the journalist and owner of Asia Gold Jewellers, who is the prime suspect in the case.

Capital City Police Chief (CCPO) Fayyaz Ahmad Dev, flanked by senior police officials, informed the media persons that Amir Butt, the owner of jewellery store, had developed serious differences and exchanged harsh words with Shah over a financial dispute.

Subsequently, the officials said Butt was so frustrated after the squabble that he hatched a plan to murder the journalist with the help of his brother Shahid Butt and a friend Farhan Shah.

Also read: Lahore police claim arrest of prime suspect in journalist murder case

According to the plan, Farhan Shah hired four persons including two contract shooters to execute the plot.

Butt, the main accused, did all the planning and other accused persons including Haider Shah and Amjad Pasha did reconnaissance and also provided vehicle and weapons to the shooters, official said.

Police also claimed to have recovered the vehicle and weapon used in the murder of the journalist.

The shooters had brutally shot dead Husnain Shah in Shimla Pahari area near Lahore Press Club and fled the scene unchallenged on Monday.

His gruesome murder had sparked widespread criticism across Pakistan among human rights activists and journalists’ fraternity.

The main shooters were yet to be identified but the police contended that they have solved the murder case.

CCPO Dev said that he had formulated three different teams to trace and arrest the criminals. One team consisted of DIG operations, SSP operations and SP city. Another team comprised DIG investigation and SSP investigation while the third team was being headed by the SP CIA.

DIG Operations Abid Khan and his team was the very first to get the clue of the murderers, said the CCPO while commending the performance of police team.

He particularly commended the performance of DIG operations and others to trace and arrest the accused persons, including Farhan Shah, Haider Shah, Amjad Pasha and prime suspect Amir Butt.

The CCPO, speaking on the occasion, said the journalists’ fraternity was hand in glove with the Lahore police for the maintenance of law and order in the city.

Also read: Cops suspect targeted killing by hired shooters

“Lahore police is fully committed to provide complete security to the citizens including the journalist community and would utilise all possible resources for this purpose,” he added.