Four detained for FBR official’s murder

Arrests follow a through investigation spanning multiple regions

RAWALPINDI:

Police arrested four suspects in connection with the murder of the Federal Board of Revenue’s assistant director and recovered his body from a graveyard in Tarnol.

The police recovered the victim's body and transferred it to the District Headquarters Hospital for autopsy.

The deceased was abducted ten days ago for a ransom of Rs10 million within the limits of RA Bazaar police station on the third day of Eidul Fitr.

Mohammad Shafiq, a resident of Kamalabad, and brother-in-law of the victim lodged an FIR with the R.A. Bazaar police two days after Rehmatullah went missing. He left his house on Friday morning saying he was going to visit his friends and he would be back in the evening. But, he did not return and his mobile phone was switched off due to which his family got worried, therefore, they lodged an FIR with the R.A Bazaar police.

SSP Operations Rawalpindi Hafiz Kamran Asghar formed a team which was led by DSP Mirza Javed. The team received help from the Organised Crime Unit of Rawalpindi Police and the Technical and Intelligence Department. During the investigation, the police collected evidence indicating that the kidnapper's mobile phone was being used in the Chiniot area, confirming his connection to Hyderabad. It was revealed that the kidnapper was married and lived with his wife and daughter in Hyderabad.

Law enforcement agencies broadened the area of investigation and also covered Chiniot, Hyderabad, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, and Faisalabad. At the same time, the police learned that the deceased’s ATM was in use in Westridge, Rawalpindi. Subsequently, the police sought help from the National Database and Registration Authority to identify the suspect by obtaining images from the bank's CCTV cameras. Ultimately, the police apprehended an individual identified as Sadiq from Dhoke Hassu, who confessed to his crime and said that he collaborated with Waheed and two other men, who have also been arrested.

One of the suspects was a close friend of the deceased, said the police, adding that the perpetrators used the deceased’s ATM card and mobile phone to extort money.

The police spokesman reported that the weapons and the vehicle used in the crime were retrieved from the suspects, identified as Waheed Gul, Sadiq, Muhammad Bahadur, and Abdullah. Upon interrogation, the suspects confessed that they abducted Rehmatullah, killed him and buried him immediately.

SSP Operation Hafiz Kamran Asghar emphasized that all necessary legal procedures will be followed to ensure that the accused are punished. No matter how cruel the accused are, they cannot escape from the grip of the law.

Published in The Express Tribune, April 24^th, 2024.