RAWALPINDI: A day after the murder of ex-MPA Chaudhry Adnan in Rawalpindi, the Civil Lines police have booked former PML-N senator Chaudhry Tanveer, MNA-elect Daniyal Chaudhry, and Changez Khan on the complaint of the deceased’s in-law for their alleged involvement in the killing of the ex-lawmaker.

Chaudhry Muhammad Adnan, 48, an independent candidate in the Feb 8 elections, was killed by unidentified motorcycle riders outside the Police Lines Headquarters on Monday night. The murder occurred in the Civil Lines area, which has already been declared as the ‘red zone’ in the garrison city.

After the registration of the FIR by Chaudhry Nadeem Iqbal, brother-in-law of the deceased, the police launched an investigation to arrest the culprits. According to the complainant, his brother-in-law Chaudhry Adnan was on his way to his residence in Jhanda Chichi in a black SUV with his aides, after negotiating a land issue at a housing society office. His vehicle was also accompanied by another car.

When the vehicles stopped at the traffic light near Jinnah Park, two unidentified persons wearing ‘shalwar kameez’ came close to the driving seat of Ch Adnan’s vehicle and started firing at him. The FIR said that Adnan was hit in the neck, face, and other body parts while the assailants sped off on their motorcycle which was parked across the road. Chaudhry Adnan lost his life while being shifted to the Benazir Bhutto Hospital by the emergency service staff of Rescue 1122.

Forensic experts gather evidence from crime scene, hunt for CCTV footage

According to the FIR, “Chaudhry Adnan had a political rivalry with…Chaudhry Tanveer Khan, Chaudhry Changaiz Khan, Daniyal Chaudhry, and Osama Tanveer; whereas a case related to some property matter was in the court of law against Luqman Kamil,” said the FIR, adding that Adnan often used say that “he fears for his life and if any harm was done to him, these people would be responsible”.

As part of the investigation, the forensic experts have collected some evidence from the crime scene and are also trying to get some CCTV footage to identify the killers who the eyewitness claimed could identify them if they were produced before them.

Meanwhile, the body of the deceased was handed over to his family after the postmortem which was conducted at the District Headquarters Hospital. He was laid to rest in a local graveyard.

Scene of crime

The crime scene is close to the Special Branch office, the Civil Lines, Saddar Bairooni and the women’s police station. The Police Lines Headquarters’ main gate was about 300 metres from the scene where the movement of police officials is frequent round the clock.

Besides the three police stations, the Police Lines Headquarters is located on the left side of the crime scene, the Counter-Terrorism Department (CTD) Punjab Regional Headquarters and the Safe City Command and Control building is located on the right side of the crime scene.

The police investigators were unable to get any help from the Safe City Project, which was hurriedly inaugurated by caretaker CM Mohsin Naqvi a day before the general elections. Mr Naqvi had congratulated the IGP and his team for swiftly making the project operational. During the briefing, the chief minister was apprised that 1886 cameras had been installed at 306 locations across Rawalpindi under the Safe City Project.

Published in Dawn, February 14th, 2024