ISLAMABAD: The Civil Lines police claimed to have arrested the alleged murderer of a local journalist, a senior police officer said here on Thursday.
The police said that the alleged murderer was the co-worker of the victim journalist and he shot him dead over a minor issue. The alleged murderer has confessed his crime, the police added.
The victim, identified as Anjum Muneeb, was sub-editor at a local Urdu language newspaper. Muneeb was on his way home when an unidentified person opened indiscriminate fire at him near Pearl Continental Hotel, Rawalpindi last week and fled.
He was taken to a nearby hospital where he died.
To investigate the case, a special police team under the supervision of Potohar Circle SP Syed Ali was constituted. The team, after 13 days of investigation, succeeded to arrest a friend of Muneeb, identified as Qaiser Rehman, a resident of Alipur Farash, Islamabad.
Qaiser, during the initial interrogation, confessed to the crime and revealed that the victim journalist was his friend for the last one-and-half-year and was also working in the same office.
During their friendship, they had developed serious differences over certain issues.
The police said that the alleged murderer purchased a pistol with the intention of killing Muneeb and on March 2, when Muneeb left his office, he started chasing him. When the victim reached near the hotel, Qaiser opened indiscriminate fire and fled.
Following the incident, the local police reached the spot and shifted Muneeb to a hospital for medico-legal formalities. The police team also collected six bullets from the crime scene and initiated interrogation.
The victim journalist was a resident of Dheri Hassanabad, Rawalpindi and had left a five-year-old son.