Couple strangled for ‘honour’
ISLAMABAD, Oct 29: A woman who married against the will of her parents was found strangled along with her husband here on Monday, police said. The incident occurred in a rented flat located at PWD Colony of sector G-9/2, where the couple – Shahzad Allah Dita, 32, and Saima Siddiq, 20, – was living since September.
The owner of the flat, Mohammad Ashraf, found the main door of the flat locked and fans and lights inside switched on. When he broke into the flat, he found the couple dead on the bed.
The Margalla police shifted the bodies to the Pakistan Institute of Medical Sciences (Pims) for legal process.
Some marks of injuries caused by a blunt metal were found on the head of the woman, police said, adding it was yet to be established whether the woman had suffered the injuries before or after being killed.
The police said Allah Dita, a tailor by profession and native of Sheikhupura, was the first cousin of Saima, a resident of Kamoki. Both fell in love with each other some years ago despite the fact that he was already married and had a 10-year-old daughter.
In December 2006, the woman married Allah Dita in Lahore against the will of her parents and later they moved to the federal capital and lived in different places here.
The preliminary police investigation suggested the couple was strangled or poisoned to death. Some bottles of soft drinks and food samples have been seized from the house for examination.
The police said Saima’s brother Qurban Ali might have given some tranquilliser to the couple and then strangled them. Another possibility is that they were poisoned to death; however, the actual cause of death would be ascertained after the autopsy.
The police said Qurban Ali had come to see her sister five days ago and convinced her that he was their well-wisher. Apparently, it was a honour killing, the police said.
A double murder case has been registered against the accused on the complaint of Mr Ashraf. The family members of Allah Dita have nominated Saima’s father Sadiq, a feudal lord; Qurban Ali, Mohammad Ramazan and Irfan in the murder case.
Source: Dawn
Date:10/30/2007
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