BBC Urdu reported that the accused was a fresh recruit in police force and was under training to become a constable. SHO Rana Muhammad Ashraf said that the accused policeman presented himself for arrest after committing the murder. According to police, the accused told them that he was planning to murder the man since 2016, but he could not do so as he was jailed on blasphemy charges.
In 2016, the man named Muhammad Waqas was arrested on allegations of sharing blasphemous content on social media. A court had awarded him imprisonment in 2017. But the high court had recently absolved him of the charges while hearing his plea against the lower court's decision.