Contract killing network busted

Police claim arrest of four suspects allegedly hired to kill citizen for millions of rupees

RAWALPINDI:

Police have foiled an alleged contract killing plot and arrested four suspects who had travelled from another province to target a citizen, a spokesperson said on Monday.

According to the spokesperson, the suspects were members of a hired killer gang that had allegedly been promised Rs5 million to kidnap and kill a citizen. Police recovered weapons, Rs4 million believed to be part of the contract money, and two vehicles used by the suspects during the operation.

The spokesperson said, Naseerabad police intercepted a suspicious vehicle during routine checking. Upon search, officers recovered weapons and discovered that the vehicle was carrying a fake number plate.

During interrogation, the detained suspect disclosed that he was part of a hired killer gang and had arrived in Rawalpindi with three accomplices to carry out the planned crime.

Acting on the information, police arrested the three remaining suspects and seized the weapons and vehicle allegedly used by the gang.

Investigators said the suspects revealed that a resident of Haripur in Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa had hired them to target a citizen in Rawalpindi. According to the investigation, the gang had been offered Rs2 million for carrying out the killing in Rawalpindi and Rs5 million if the intended victim was kidnapped and taken to Haripur before being killed.

The spokesperson said teams had been constituted to arrest the alleged contractor and that legal proceedings had been initiated.