ISLAMABAD – The key suspect in killing of Group Captain Asim Tariq was hedl within just nine hours as authorities used an extensive network of Safe City surveillance cameras, digital tracking, and coordinated field operations.
The shocking incident occurred on 9th Avenue within the jurisdiction of Margalla Police Station in Islamabad. Moments after shooting Group Captain Asim Tariq, suspect Saad Abbasi fled scene, triggering an intensive, high-priority manhunt.
SP City Islamabad Police Ayaz Hussain rushed to the crime scene, where investigators collected forensic evidence and immediately launched a multi-agency search operation. Investigators relied heavily on Islamabad’s Safe City CCTV network to reconstruct the suspect’s escape route. Surveillance footage allegedly showed Saad Abbasi making his way to Ghouri Town, where he concealed his motorcycle outside a friend’s house by covering it with a cloth.
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The suspect then booked an online bike ride to a nearby market. He reportedly left his backpack at a friend’s pharmacy before purchasing a blue T-shirt to replace the black shirt he had been wearing during the alleged crime, hoping to escape.
Police traced online ride through digital records and quickly located the rider, who told investigators he had dropped the suspect near the Skyways bus terminal at Faizabad Interchange.
With this information, law enforcement split into multiple teams. One team was dispatched to recover the hidden motorcycle, another searched the pharmacy where the suspect’s bag had been left, while a third rushed to Faizabad.
Investigators soon discovered that Saad Abbasi purchased a ticket for Lahore, prompting Islamabad Police to immediately alert authorities in Punjab and prepare coordinated arrest teams. However, in a dramatic twist, the suspect unexpectedly returned before reaching his destination.
Abbasi then contacted a friend keeping his bike from an unknown phone number, informing him that he was coming to collect it. Just minutes later, he also called the friend at the pharmacy to retrieve the backpack he had left behind.
According to investigators, the backpack contained the suspect’s clothes and the pistol allegedly used in the shooting. Instead of appearing himself, Saad reportedly sent a young boy to collect the bag on his behalf. As soon as the boy approached with the backpack, police teams closed in and arrested Saad Abbasi, bringing the high-profile manhunt to an end less than nine hours after the killing.
The investigation remains ongoing, and officials are continuing to examine all evidence and circumstances surrounding the killing.
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