WhatsApp group admin shot dead for allegedly removing member

A Pakistani man has been charged with murder after allegedly shooting the administrator of a community WhatsApp group who removed him from the chat, police said Saturday.

Mushtaq Ahmed was shot dead on Thursday evening in Peshawar, the capital of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, a province that borders Afghanistan, which has a history of bloody sectarian violence.

A man named only as Ashfaq has been charged with his murder, according to police documents seen by AFP and a local police official.

Mushtaq allegedly kicked Ashfaq out of the WhatsApp group following an argument, according to a statement by Mushtaq’s brother seen by AFP. He said that both parties had arranged to meet and reconcile but alleges that Ashfaq turned up with a gun and opened fire, killing his brother.

Ashfaq was angry “in reaction to removal from WhatsApp group,” according to his statement.