Former SP Among Eight Held as Police Solve Three Murder Cases
APP
Islamabad: Islamabad Capital Territory (ICT) Police have successfully resolved three high-profile murder cases and arrested eight suspects, including former Superintendent of Police (SP) Arif Shah, according to Deputy Inspector General (DIG) of Police Muhammad Jawad Tariq, who addressed an emergency press conference at Rescue-15 Headquarters on Thursday.
DIG Tariq was joined by SSP Investigation Usman Tariq Butt, SSP Operations Muhammad Shoaib Khan, SSP Counter-Terrorism Department (CTD) Hamza Humayun, SP Sawan Zone Parighul Tareen, and SP CIA during the briefing. He revealed that the police carried out a total of 131 raids across 12 districts to apprehend those involved in the three heinous cases.
Senate Employee Murder Case
DIG Tariq shared details of the investigation into the disappearance of Hamza Khan, a Senate Secretariat employee, whose last known contact was with former SP Arif Shah. After a thorough investigation, Arif Shah was arrested, and during questioning, he confessed to the murder of Hamza, with assistance from his brother-in-law, Syed Sabir Hussain Shah. The victim’s body was discovered buried in the courtyard of a house in Mansehra after Shah led the police to the site.
The case was registered at Aabpara Police Station under FIR No. 248/25, and the body was handed over to the family after a post-mortem. The three accused—Arif Shah, Sabir Hussain Shah, and Saqlain Shah—have been arrested, and the police will submit a solid challan in court.
Ishtiaq Abbasi Murder Case
In another case, DIG Tariq spoke about the brutal murder of social worker and former councillor Ishtiaq Ahmed Abbasi in the Khanna area on April 9. Within hours, Khanna Police arrested four suspects, including the prime culprit.
The case, registered at Khanna Police Station under FIR No. 501/25, involved suspects identified as Aamir alias Amri, Riaz Chadhar, Aamir alias Mandri, and Zulfiqar. They were arrested following multiple raids using advanced technology and human intelligence. Investigations are still ongoing.
Double Murder Case at Sawan Garden
The third case involved the double murder of a mother and daughter at a residence in Sawan Garden on April 5. The suspect, Muhammad Sadaqat, a house employee, attacked the victims with a knife, killing them and injuring another family member.
Using mobile data and intelligence, the police tracked down the accused, who was arrested on April 16. The case was registered at Lohi Bher Police Station under FIR No. 253/25. Sadaqat is currently on physical remand, and further interrogation is underway.
DIG Jawad Tariq reaffirmed the commitment of Islamabad Police, under the supervision of IG Islamabad, to safeguard lives and property and pledged to continue combating criminal elements with full force.
