Police to hunt for murder suspect in Pakistan

DETECTIVES hunting the killers of Glasgow schoolboy Kriss Donald are planning to travel to Pakistan where they are believed to have traced a suspect in the case.

Strathclyde Police CID officers in charge of the investigation into the 15-year-old’s murder confirmed last night that the man, identified as 27-year-old Imran Shahid, has been wanted in connection with the murder since 2 April.

He is believed to have left the country last month and is currently staying with family members in Karachi.

Last month two men appeared separately at Glasgow Sheriff Court charged with the murder of the teenager who was allegedly beaten and tortured to death after he was abducted near his home in the ethnically diverse Pollokshields area of Glasgow in March.

Daanish Zahid and Zahid Mohammed, both 20, made no plea or declaration when they appeared at the court on 5 April. Following their appearance the men, both of Shields Road, Glasgow, were remanded in custody and a warrant was issued for the arrest of the third suspect, Imran Shahid, on 2 April.

Speaking last night a police source said Strathclyde officers were already in talks with the Crown Office and Home Office and hoped to travel to the country in the next month.

He said: "As things stand we believe we have located the third suspect in this case. The individual who has been subject to a warrant since the beginning of April is currently in Pakistan and we are seeking formal measures to travel out there and arrest him. We have obviously been in touch with the embassy and are seeking advice on extradition which may cause a great deal of hold-up. This is something that is obviously our biggest concern."

Detectives believe that the suspect in question travelled abroad after the murder, crossing the Channel into France and on to Asia through mainland Europe.

Kriss was last seen near his home in the Pollokshields area of Glasgow on 15 March shortly before he was bundled into a car by his assailants. His body was later discovered the following morning behind a Celtic supporters’ club just yards from Parkhead football stadium, he had been tortured, stabbed and beaten to death.

A fortnight ago Strathclyde Police revealed that the forensic examination of a flat in Pollokshields, which has become the focus of the investigation into the death of the teenager, had been completed.