Police arrest absconding suspect in Mashal Khan lynching case

Another key suspect, who had been absconding in the Mashal Khan lynching case, has been arrested by the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa police on Thursday, around 10 months after he went into hiding.

According to local media reports, the suspect, identified as Arif, was arrested from Mardan's Ring Road area. District Police Officer Mian Saeed confirmed the news, saying that a special police team had arrested the accused.

Arif is said to be a Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf councilor and had gone into hiding 10 months ago, soon after Mashal's killing.

SC disposes off Mashal Khan suo motu notice

On February 7, an anti-terrorism court (ATC) sentenced one of the accused to death while the court also cleared 26 of the suspects. The three years jail time that was awarded to the other 25 suspects, was also disposed and the suspects were later released on bail.

Mashal, a 23-year-old student of Mass Communication and media studies at the Abdul Wali Khan University was lynched by a mob on April 13, 2017 after blasphemy allegations. The video of his murder, which circulated on social media, was also presented as evidence in front of the court.