Teenaged girl among two killed for ‘honour’ in Peshawar

Officials to exhume bodies which were buried without performing last rites

PESHAWAR:

A young man and a teenaged girl have been allegedly killed for ‘honour’ and then quietly buried without performing their last rites in Peshawar, it emerged on Wednesday.

According to police officials, the incident took place six days ago and they have arrested three suspects while the victims’ bodies will be exhumed for further investigations.

SP City Waqar Azeem Kharal said that he had received a tip-off from an informant that 21-year-old Waqas Khairuddin and 16-year-old Samina had been killed in the name of ‘honour’ on the night of July 2 and were then silently buried in unmarked graves without a proper funeral in the Dir Colony area within the remits of the Agha Mir Jani police station.

After verifying the initial information, SP Kharal said that he tasked Agha Mir Jani SHO Ali Syed Khan to initiate an inquiry.

The police team apprehended three suspects identified as Saleh Mohammad, Nooruddin and Shahabuddin. During subsequent questioning, they allegedly confessed to their involvement in the murder.

They told police that Waqas and Samina were close relatives and good friends. However, the girl’s family denied the claim.

Members of the investigation team said that on the day of the incident, the girl's family contacted Waqas' uncle - since his father lives abroad - and expressed their displeasure.

Subsequently, the uncle allegedly told them that whatever the girl’s family decides, he will accept it.

Following the assurance, Samina’s uncle Hasham allegedly shot both of them dead in their Dir Colony house and fled.

Later, the young man and the girl were quietly buried in unmarked graves.

Police said that the girl's father and the man’s uncle are among those who were arrested while Hasham is on the run.

Officers further said that they will approach the court to obtain permission to exhume the bodies of the victims and conduct an autopsy.

They also said that police personnel were also deployed at both the graves to ensure that the bodies cannot be moved by the family.