‘Honour’ crime: Man arrested for killing mother, four sisters

Murder case was registered against the suspect by his father who may pardon him and withdraw the complaint.

CHICHA WATNI:

A woman and her four daughters were killed in a Chicha Watni village on Wednesday night allegedly by one of her sons.

The suspect, Khalid Allah Ditta, 26, has been arrested by Ghaziabad police who say that he has confessed to killing the women. The police said the suspect, a resident of Chak29-11 LK, was arrested by a police team from a neighbouring village on Thursday evening. They said a murder case against him was lodged on the complaint filed by his father, Allah Ditta.

Talking to The Express Tribune, Station House Officer Muhammad Wajid admitted that it was likely that the complainant would withdraw the complaint and refuse to press murder charges against his son. He said the police would be helpless in such a situation and would have to release the suspect without prosecution.

The SHO said the complaint could not be registered by the police on their own (to prevent a withdrawal at a later stage) because a relative’s application was available for the purpose. “We may proceed against the complainant (Allah Dita) on spreading false information charge if he revokes the complaint,” he said.

The complainant, Allah Ditta, who is the suspect’s father, stated that Khalid Allah Ditta had suspected his mother Irshad Bibi, 50, and four sisters Nazia Bibi, Shazia Bibi, Sajida Bibi and Khalida Bibi of having illicit relations with some men in the neighbourhood.

It said the suspect had drugged their dinner and killed them in their sleep with an azada (a digging tool). Two of the four sisters were married but were staying at their parents’ house for some months. Talking to The Tribune, Khalid Allah Ditta’s younger brother said he and his other brothers had been warning the deceased ‘to mend their ways but they refused to listen to their admonitions’. He said he had learnt about the killings on reaching home in the morning on Thursday from his dera where he had spent the night.

The post mortem examination carried out at Chicha Watni tehsil headquarters (THQ) hospital stated that the women were killed with some sharp-edged weapon. Medical Superintendent Dr Muhammad Akram said chemical samples had also been sent for laboratory examination to ascertain whether or not the women were poisoned before the assault.

Talking to the media at the crime scene on Thursday morning, Sahiwal District Police Officer Rana Ayaz Saleem said he would personally monitor progress in the investigation of the case. 

Published in The Express Tribune, August 31^st, 2012.