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A Pakistani man has been charged with the alleged murder of a WhatsApp group administrator after being removed from the group chat, according to police reports shared with the news agency AFP on Saturday.
The incident occurred in Peshawar, the capital of the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa region bordering Afghanistan.
The accused, identified as Ashfaq, reportedly shot and killed Mushtaq Ahmed on Thursday evening. The altercation stemmed from an argument within the WhatsApp group, after which Mushtaq removed Ashfaq from the chat.
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In his statement to the police, Mushtaq confirmed that Ashfaq had been angered by his expulsion from the group.
Despite attempts to reconcile, the situation escalated tragically. Mushtaq’s brother alleged that Ashfaq arrived at their meeting armed with a gun and fatally shot Mushtaq.
As quoted by Arab News, the victim’s brother stated,
It was a non-issue or a very trivial matter. No one in our family even knew about the dispute at all
Following the murder, Ashfaq fled the scene, and authorities are currently working to apprehend him.
The case has sparked discussions about the widespread availability of firearms in the politically unstable region and the alarming trend of using violence to resolve minor online disputes.
This incident is not isolated, as similar violent crimes tied to online disagreements, particularly involving WhatsApp, have been reported in other regions, including India.
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Similar incident
For instance, two months ago in Maharashtra’s Thane district, three men were arrested for allegedly assaulting a friend who refused to comply with a demand to post an offensive status on WhatsApp.
The main accused, who served as the group administrator, had instructed the victim to change his status to align with other members.
When the victim declined, the accused became enraged, leading to the violent confrontation.