Police arrest Tiktoker allegedly involved in PTI leader's murder

LAHORE: A tiktoker who honey-trapped the driver of PTI’s slain leader Abdullah Tahir, has been arrested, police sources said on Saturday.

Lahore Police has arrested accused tiktoker, Maria, from Sialkot, officials said. “She is resident of Faisalabad and was at large after the murder,” police sources said.

“She was traced through her mobile number and arrested,” officials said.

Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) leader from Okara, Chaudhry Abdullah Tahir was killed in a gun attack during his visit to a clinic for routine check up on July 29.

Investigators earlier disclosed that the driver of Abdullah Tahir was hone-trapped by a tiktoker. A woman accomplice of the accused established contact with the driver of the PTI’s leader. “The woman made her first contact with the driver around two months before the murder,” investigation sources said.

“She honey-trapped the driver to get information from him,” sources said.

“A video call made between the driver and woman on the day of the crime after Abdullah Tahir reached to the clinic”, officials said. “The accused confirmed presence of their victim at the clinic through the video call”.

“After confirmation of Abdullah Tahir’s presence, the shooters reached at Guru Mangat Road”, according to investigation sources.

Police investigating the murder suggested that the killing was meticulously planned.

Sources said the arrested suspects told investigators that the murder was carried out after extensive planning. They revealed that drones were used to monitor Abdullah Tahir’s movements and identify his location before the attack.

Investigators said a significant amount of money was spent to arrange the drone surveillance. Police are also examining reports of drone activity in the vicinity of the victim’s residence before the murder.

According to police, two motorcycle-riding gunmen opened indiscriminate fire on Abdullah Tahir in Lahore’s Gulberg area. He suffered multiple gunshot wounds and later succumbed to his injuries.

He was a prominent political figure from Okara and had contested the 2018 Punjab Assembly elections on a PTI ticket.