Police investigate female journalist's murder

Officials say crime was disguised as a suicide

KARACHI: Police have registered a murder case against unidentified persons over the alleged killing of a female journalist in Karachi. An FIR, No 140/17, has been registered at the Brigade police station under Section 302 of the Pakistan Penal Code (PPC). The case was registered on behalf of the victim's brother Zafar. Zeeba Burney, 65, was found dead on Monday, on the first day of Eidul Fitr, under mysterious circumstances at her apartment in Khudadad Colony, within the limits of the Brigade police station. Police said her body was found hanging in her apartment.

The police registered a murder case after suspecting that she had not committed suicide but been murdered. "The killer(s) tried to change the nature of the incident after killing her," Brigade SHO Sohail Sulehri said. "But we found torture marks on her neck, which suggested that she did not commit suicide but was murdered." A case has been registered and investigations have begun, said the police. The authorities have also recorded the statement of Burney's female housemaid and are waiting for the post-mortem report.

The housemaid, in her initial statement, said that the door of the house was open from inside and she found Burney's body hanging after she entered. She later informed the neighbours of Burney's death.



 

Firing incident

A young man who was injured in a firing incident on Thursday succumbed to his injuries. Khizar Khan, 23, was wounded in a firing incident at the family quarters at Police Headquarters, Garden. Khan's family later registered a case against Police Head Constable Abdullah, who is a wireless operator in the Sindh police and another person, Shahzad Baloch. The authorities on Thursday arrested both suspects and initiated investigations.