Days after a Sikh caretaker couple were shot dead inside a gurdwara in Pakistan's Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, police on Thursday arrested the main suspect in the double murder case, officials said.
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The victims, Jagannath and his wife Asma Wanti, were serving as caretakers of a gurdwara in Babu Mohalla in Mardan district, around 60 km from Peshawar.
The couple was shot dead inside the gurdwara on Wednesday.
Addressing a presser, Mardan district police officer (DPO) Masood Ahmad Bangash said the prime suspect, identified as Sher Shah, a resident of Amazugari, had been arrested.
Bangash said a Joint Investigation Team (JIT), comprising police officials, Counter-Terrorism Department (CTD) personnel and other senior authorities, was probing the case. So far, investigators have found no evidence linking the suspect to any banned organisation, terrorist group or organised network.
He said the motive behind the killings remains unclear and authorities are examining all possible angles based on the suspect's statements and other evidence gathered during the investigation.
The killings have sparked outrage among the Sikh community. The Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee (SGPC) strongly condemned the attack and called for swift action against those responsible.
SGPC president Harjinder Singh Dhami has called murders as a serious attack on religious freedom and minority rights. He said the attackers had violated the sanctity of a place of worship by targeting an innocent couple engaged in religious service.
"The murder of a Sikh couple inside a gurdwara is not merely a criminal act but a grave assault on religious freedom and the security of minorities," Dhami said.
He urged the Pakistan government to conduct a thorough investigation, arrest all those involved and ensure strict punishment for the perpetrators. Dhami also expressed solidarity with the bereaved family and prayed for the peace of the departed souls.
