The Karachi police chief said the suspect, Ashraf Brohi, had been apprehended on the Sindh-Balochistan border. The police chief said that authorities were still interrogating the suspect, and would release more details as they became available.
On February 18, Athar Mateen was shot and killed on a main thoroughfare in North Nazimabad, Karachi after he tried to stop a robbery in progress. Mateen had tried to stop the robbers by ramming his car into their motorcycle. However, after the crash, one of the thieves opened fire on Mateen's car. Mateen was hit by one bullet and died on the scene.
According to police, after the murder, the suspect fled to his home town in Balochistan to evade arrest. Balochistan’s Parliamentary Secretary Bushra Rind said the suspect was arrested in a joint operation launched by Sindh and Balochistan police.
Incidents of violent street crime have increased recently Karachi. Since January 2022, at least 15 people were killed and 90 more were injured in street crimes in Karachi. In 2021, 64 people were killed and 326 wounded during mugging incidents in Karachi.
Athar Mateen was a senior producer for Samaa TV. Following his death, Prime Minister Imran Khan shared his condolences with the bereaved family, saying "we will try our best to arrest the accused. Our policy about street crime is clear-cut."