A court in Islamabad sentenced retired Islamabad Police superintendent Arif Shah to death on Wednesday for kidnapping and murdering Senate Secretariat employee Hamza Khan.
Additional District and Sessions Judge Muhammad Afzal Majoka announced the verdict after months of proceedings in the murder case. The court also imposed a fine of Rs 1 million on Shah.
The court sentenced Shah’s brother-in-law, Sabir Hussain Shah, and his son, Saqlain Shah, to life imprisonment. Both co-accused were also fined Rs2 million each.
According to investigators, 30-year-old Hamza Khan was abducted from the jurisdiction of Aabpara Police Station in Islamabad. Police said Shah later confessed during interrogation that he murdered Hamza with the help of Sabir Hussain Shah.
Investigators said police took Shah to the Khaki area of Mansehra, where he identified the location of the victim’s grave. Hamza’s body was later exhumed from the courtyard of a house owned by Shah’s family.
Authorities said a financial dispute between the accused and the victim was the motive behind the murder. The case was registered at Aabpara Police Station.
Read: Sana Yousaf Murder Case Ends With Death Sentence
Shah had earlier been arrested during his service in connection with the murder of Islamabad Police constable Iqra Nazir, but police later failed to prove the charges against him.
A day earlier, the District and Sessions Court in Islamabad sentenced Umar Hayat to death in the murder case of influencer Sana Yousaf. Judge Afzal Majoka also awarded Hayat an additional 10-year prison term and imposed a fine of Rs200,000.
