GILGIT, 26 March 2005 — Authorities have detained 17 people suspected of involvement in the murder of a former police chief in Gilgit, officials said.
The men were rounded up in raids near the place where gunmen ambushed senior officer Sakhiullah Tareen late Wednesday, killing him and his four guards and seriously wounding his son and daughter-in-law, local officer Rajiur Rehman said.
“We have detained 17 people for interrogation and they are being questioned at an undisclosed location,” he said, adding: “We hope to arrest the attackers soon.”
Gilgit is plagued by sectarian violence. It was placed under curfew for weeks in January after 17 people died in riots sparked by the murder of a top Shiite leader.
Investigators were questioning the 17 suspects from villages near the scene of the attack to get clues about the assailants, a police official in Gilgit said on condition of anonymity. He said the local men were picked up Thursday but that none of them was a suspect or has been formally charged.
