Killers of slain journalist Hussan Zeb arrested: DPO

NOWSEHRA: Police on Thursday said that they had arrested Mohammad Ashfaq and his son Zuhaib who they said linked to the murder of journalist Malik Hassan Zeb.
On July 14, Hussan Zeb, member of the Peshawar Press Club (PPC) and reporter for Daily Aaj in Peshawar, was shot dead by two unidentified armed motorcyclists. After the attack, he sustained multiple bullet injuries and died on the way to hospital.
District Police Officer (DPO) Nowshera, Muhammad Azhar Khan, told reporters the Mohammad Ashfaq, the prime suspect in the case, has been apprehended by police after a comprehensive investigation.
As soon as this incident occurred, police formed a team comprised of Jawad Khan SDPO Pabi Circle, Niaz Mohammad SHO Akbarpura, Sajid Khan in charge of CFU, he said.
The investigation team immediately visited the crime scene and meticulously collected all the evidence while the technical team started their efforts to arrest the culprits involved in the killing of journalist.
The police, he said, collected evidence, including 10 empty shells from the site, CCTV footage, and geo-fencing and mobile data of the slain journalist and were sent for forensic test to the laboratory.
Azhar Khan said the slain journalist had strained relations with the brothers of his first wife while a dispute over money of a plot was also running between him and one Muhammad Ashfaq.
The investigation team arrested Muhammad Ashfaq who during the investigation confessed to killing the journalist.
As per police, Ashfaq said that his son Zuhaib with the help of a hired killer known as Bilal killed Malik Hussan Zeb.
He alleged that Hassan Zeb first beat up him and later took him to the hujra of one, Lal Sher, in Peshawar, where he was kept for a few days. He added that later he was released on the assurance of property dealer Naeem. He accused the slain journalist of violating the sanctity of chadar and chaardiwari (privacy).
DPO said that the case was a challenge for the police of the district and finally the investigation team arrested the persons involved in the killing.