HYDERABAD, May 7: Police have arrested one of the accused in robbery on April 11 in a cellular phone company’s franchise in which three people were shot dead by the robbers. Three of his accomplices are still at large.

According to police, the accused identified as Faisal Arain has admitted to aiding the main accused by providing them pick-and-drop service on a motorcycle. Police claimed they had found a TT pistol, a CD 70 motorcycle and two cell-phones, which were snatched from the franchise in the jurisdiction of Makki Shah police station, in his possession.

Hyderabad DPO Dr Najaf Quli Mirza told journalists that Faisal admitted that he was standing outside the franchise when his accomplices, Azmat Pathan and Nisar alias Fauji, entered it with intention of robbery.

In the meantime, a policeman entered the shop after them and then he heard sound of gunshots, Arain said, adding that his accomplices fled from the franchise and then gathered at Hayat Shah Baba graveyard in Pathan Colony. They sent a man to the hospital to get information about the three men they had shot at and were told that they had died, he said.

The outgoing DPO Imran Shaukat, who has now been posted as TPO of Lyari, had formed various teams to probe the case. Shaukat had told this correspondent that one of the accomplices, Azmat Pathan, had contacted him over phone and expressed his readiness to surrender.

He had also told him that they had stayed at the residence of a man in Mumtaz Colony where they had had alcohol before going for robbery.

That man had also helped police in tracing the culprits, he said.

Azmat and Javed had earlier been challaned by police in Hyderabad. Azmat was released from jail a couple of months ago. He had now fled to tribal areas, said a police source. Likewise, Javed and Nisar alias Fauji are still at large.

Arain had developed friendship with Javed and Nisar at the shrine of Hayat Shah Baba graveyard where they used to share cannabis, the DPO said.

The franchise owner, Ejaz Kalhoro, his employee Ayub Palari and gunman of DSP traffic, Mevo Khan, were killed in the robbery on April 11 when they put up resistance.

DPO Mirza disclosed that one of the robbers, Haseeb Soomro, who had also committed robbery in the residence of senior journalist Zaheer Ahmed, had also been put under arrest.

He had been challaned by Hussainabad police in past as well and had also been identified by the journalist’s family. Zaheer said that out of thousands of photos shown to him and his family, Soomro’s photo looked like one of the dacoits.

Police arrested another accused who was involved in kidnapping for ransom case after receiving a tip-off from SPO Chalgari Mujahid Shah. He was identified as Allah Jurio alias Jurio and was involved in over 15 cases of murder, attempted murder, kidnapping for ransom and robberies. A team of SP investigation arrested one Manzoor alias Mashooq alias Ramzan and a car (ANE-475) snatched in the limits of Hatri police station was found in his possession. Police also arrested Qamar Deen Bugti and found a car (APF-760) snatched from Karachi in his possession.