Rawalpindi: Dhamial police on Tuesday claimed to have arrested seven men for their alleged role in the murder of two young men in Pir Mehr Ali Shah Town on Chakri Road on May 8. The two men lost their lives over an issue of Rs1,300.
Arrests Made in Torture and Murder Case
The investigators arrested Sohail Chattah, son of Muhammad Safdar, resident of Raniyal village on Chakri Road; Shah Hussain, son of Bismillah Khan; Abdul Basit, son of Taj Ali; Muhammad Amjad Khan, son of Tilawat Khan; Luqman Khan, son of Muhammad Sharif; and Hamzah Khan, son of Afzal Khan, all residents of Gulzar Valley on Chakri Road. The six men were arrested for abducting 19-year-old Zain Shah and torturing him to death.
Separate Arrest in Second Murder
Separately, the police said that they arrested Zohaib Hasab, son of Javed Iqbal, resident of Dhoke Kamaan near Raniyal village. He was arrested in connection with the murder of Siraj Khan, 25.
The double murder gained large-scale coverage on social media due to the circumstances that led to the killings, the brutality involved in the murder of Zain, and the communal color as Siraj was a Pashtun and Zain was Punjabi. The investigations thus far and the medical examinations have revealed that the dispute over payment of a small cash amount turned into an ugly incident leading to two murders.
Details of the Incident
Siraj Khan, a general store owner in the area, had a dispute with Zain Shah over the payment of Rs1,300. On May 8, both had an altercation at the general store. Later, Siraj, along with his relatives and friends, reportedly went to the nearby house of Zain Shah apparently to fight him. There, Siraj was shot dead allegedly by Aoun Chaudhry, a friend of Zain. The relatives of Siraj later abducted Zain and reportedly tortured him to death and then dragged his dead body in the streets after tying it behind a motorbike.
FIR and Police Action
In the FIR lodged by Dhamial police, complainant Muhammad Sharif, elder brother of deceased Siraj and native of Waziristan, said his young brother was allegedly shot dead by Aoun Chaudhry. He said his brother had a dispute with Zain over payment of some amount. He said that Siraj along with his cousins went to the house of Zain to complain about the fight but Aoun Chaudhry shot Siraj dead there. On the other hand, the police also recorded the version of Zain’s family and added offenses of kidnapping, torture, and mutilation of the dead body.
