Mashal Khan’s shooter arrested: DIG Mardan

MARDAN: Police said on Thursday that the shooter of Mashal Khan, a Mardan university student who became a victim of mob lynching, has been caught.

During a news conference, DIG Mardan Alam Khan Shinwari revealed that the shooter who has been identified as Imran was caught on information based on confessions of other accused in the case.

"Two confessional statements mentioned the name of the person who shot at Mashal. The person identified as Imran was a class fellow of Mashal in the journalism department," said Shinwari.

The culprit has confessed to the crime in front of the magistrate, he said. 

DIG Mardan said that according to the statements by the under-custody suspects, Imran had opened fire on Mashal.

Shinwari said that Mashal was shot at two times and that investigation based on CCTV footages and other evidence is under way.

“Some things we will share with media later,” said DIG Mardan.

Shinwari said that all the investigation has been evidence-based and use of technology has been utilised to catch the culprit.

Police present Imran, the alleged shooter of Mashal Khan - Geo News screen grab

Describing what transpired on the day Mashal was lynched, he said that police on being informed about the situation reached the spot in 13 minutes.
He said the police saved lives of two people after reaching, adding that a professors’ life was also in danger.

So far, 36 people have been arrested in the case, out of which nine were employees of Abdul Wali Khan University Mardan.

Earlier on April 23, an employee of the AWKUM, wanted for inciting the mob to murder Mashal Khan over unfounded blasphemy allegations was arrested.

Mashal Khan, who was a student of journalism at AWKUM, was lynched by an enraged mob on the university premises on April 13. The mob killed the student over an allegation of blasphemy.