Killer of two transgender women arrested

Nadia and Muskan were shot in the head and their three-day-old bodies were found at house in Harappa

SAHIWAL: Police have arrested the man behind the murders of two transgender persons.

Addressing a press conference on Wednesday, DPO Muhammad Ali Zia identified the accused as Zubair, an electrician from Rahim Yar Khan.

He said the accused was in a relationship with one of the victims, Muskan, for the past eight months, and Muskan wished to end the relationship.

He added that there was an ongoing dispute between the two parties over the matter. On the day of the incident, the accused turned off his cell phone and travelled to Chichawatni. He came to Muskan’s home and shot her dead.

When Nadia, who was out running errands, returned, he shot and killed her as well. He then used a lipstick to smear a message on the bathroom walls which threatened that any transgender person who made the same mistake as the victim(s) will suffer the same fate.

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The accused then tossed the pistol into a dirty drain, the DPO said. He maintained that police managed to recover the murder weapon. The officer added that the suspect had tried to stage a crime scene to not make it look like a murder.

The DPO said Zubair had also committed a murder in 2017. He added that a case had been registered against the accused at Gala Mandi police station. The DPO announced certificates and cash prizes for the police team which managed to apprehend the criminal.

Last week, the three-day-old bodies of Nadia and Muskan were recovered from a house in Harappa police station limits. Both the victims had been shot in the head. Reportedly, the bodies were discovered after residents reported a foul smell emanating from a house in the locality.

Published in The Express Tribune, August 1^st, 2019.