Police propose sending Mureed Abbas murder case to NAB to probe 'financial scam'

By
Web Desk
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KARACHI: The top investigation officer in the Mureed Abbas murder case, wherein accused Atif Zaman shot dead the TV anchor and his friend, Khizar Hayat, has recommended the issue by probed by the National Accountability Bureau (NAB), a letter issued Monday read.

In his letter to the deputy inspector-general (DIG) of police for South, Tariq Dharejo — the senior superintendent of police (SSP) for investigation in the province — wrote that the "motive behind the dual murder was financial scam by arrested accused Alit Zaman involving amount of more than a billion PKR".

SSP Investigation Dharejo said the development came during the investigation of the double homicide that left TV anchor Mureed Abbas and his friend, Khizar Hayat, dead. It had "sufficient documentary evidence" and "the number of victims of this financial scam is more than 100", he added.

In this regard, the police officer noted that "all the credentials of the case directly invite NAB jurisdiction."

The case's investigative officer, too, has requested it be sent to NAB. Therefore, it had been requested that the double homicide case be referred to the director-general of the anti-graft watchdog's Sindh wing "to formally investigate be financial scam on merits".

Earlier, on July 11, SSP Dharejo had said suspect Atif Zaman admitted to the police that he planned to kill as many as five people after investors demanded he return their money when they learnt that he did not own any business.

The police official had said the suspect used to show other's business as his own to obtain money from the investors.

"He used to give lent money to people as profit and people started getting attached to him because of greed," Dharejo had said. “But he started facing issues after he failed to get more clients.”

The SSP had mentioned that a police team was searching for primary suspect Atif Zaman's brother, Adnan, who is also believed to be part of TV anchor Mureed Abbas' murder. Atif Zaman had attempted suicide earlier as well when he had failed his Matriculation.

Investigation revealed that the entire scam was around Rs400-500 million and also involved smuggling.

"People had invested a different amount in the so-called tire business — which was nothing but a smokescreen. Late Mureed Abbas had invested Rs100-120 million in it," Dharejo had said.

The police investigator explained that a medical test of Atif Zaman showed that he was not intoxicated when he shot Mureed Abbas and Khizar Hayat dead.