Peshawar Police Lines blast: Cop who took Rs200,000 to facilitate attack arrested, says IG KP

In a major breakthrough, KP IGP Akhtar Hayat on Tuesday said the cop who took Rs200,000 to facilitate attack on Peshawar Police Lines, has been arrested. 

Addressing a press conference, IG KP Police, Akhtar Hayat Khan said the police arrested the main facilitator behind the suicide bombing in Peshawar Police Lines.

Hayat said police constable Muhammad Wali, who joined the force in 2019 was the facilitator of the suicide bombing. He received Rs200,000 for his role in facilitating the Police Lines attack, with the amount reportedly transferred through the hawala system.

The IG stated that Muhammad Wali, the arrested facilitator, was apprehended with two suicide vests. Further investigation showed Wali had connections with a Jamaat-ul-Ahrar commander, whom he met in Afghanistan in 2021 after crossing via Quetta and Chaman border.

He was temporarily detained by Afghan forces on his return but was released following orders from a handler named Junaid.

Read more: Peshawar Police Lines blast was planned in Afghanistan: CTD

The IG noted that Wali played a significant role in various destructive activities, including procuring suicide vests, weapons, and explosive materials.

In December 2023, he was involved in a grenade attack at Gilani Market, and in March 2024, he supplied a pistol to an associate of Jamaat-ul-Ahrar, used in a targeted killing, the KP’s top cop said.

Taking advantage of his position, Wali placed an individual carrying a suicide vest on a bus to Lahore in June 2024, underscoring his betrayal of his fellow officers.