All individuals involved in the killing of a prominent Islamabad businessman during a dacoity have been arrested, State Minister for Interior Tallal Chaudhry said on Tuesday.

 

Police had reported on Monday that Amir Awan was murdered during a dacoity at his farmhouse in the Orchard Scheme area, a neighbourhood where several political figures, VIPs, and advisers to the prime minister own property.

 

Addressing a press conference in Islamabad, Chaudhry said, “The suspects belong to the Mansoor Khan gang. They are from Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. Two of the suspects are illegal Afghan nationals. The dangerous nature of the gang had prevented the local police from arresting them.”

 

Islamabad Inspector General Syed Ali Nasir Rizvi added that the gang is known as the ‘Bulletproof Gang’ because its members carried out operations wearing bulletproof jackets.

He added that Islamabad police arrested the suspects with the assistance of safe city cameras and their professional approach, noting that the Inspector General (IG) of Islamabad police personally monitored the case on the orders of the interior minister.

 

“The heart-wrenching incident shattered hearts. After the dacoits took the life of Amir Awan, the concerns of Islamabad citizens and the business community were valid,” Chaudhry said.

 

During the press conference, the minister referred to other criminal cases in Islamabad, stating that they had been solved within hours. He said, “I can say this with full belief and with figures. All cases were worked out 100 percent, whether they be blind murder or dacoity with murder. People were arrested, some were killed in police encounters, some are on-trial prisoners, while others are serving sentences.”

 

Citing statistics, Chaudhry said that there was a 63 percent reduction in heinous crime in Islamabad compared to last year, and a 78 percent decrease in regular crimes, including vehicle thefts, robberies, and other minor offences.

 

Islamabad Inspector General Syed Ali Nasir Rizvi, present at the press briefing, called the case a “national-level” investigation and said it tested the police’s capabilities. DIG Islamabad Mohammad Jawad Tariq and the SSPs of investigation and operations were also present.

 

He explained that soon after the murder, 17 police teams were formed under the DIG’s supervision, conducting 31 raids across Islamabad, Punjab, and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. 

 

Rizvi added that police analysed 180 phone calls, 257 camera footages, and geo-fenced six locations, while interrogating 93 suspects, using artificial intelligence to assist investigations. “Every piece of information was carefully analysed in the control room and shared with field teams in real time,” he said. The suspects were arrested from Charsadda and Mardan in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.

 

“Due to timely and professional investigation, all five members of the inter-provincial Mansoor Khan gang were apprehended. Heavy weapons, mobile phones, and other items were recovered from their possession,” he confirmed. 

 

He stated that the gang was involved in inter-provincial crimes and carried out operations with full preparation to resist any confrontation.

 

“It is an inter-provincial gang that conducts crimes in Islamabad, KP, and different areas of Punjab. They keep themselves ready to resist so they have one or two big weapons,” Rizvi added.