Bail plea of female accused rejected

Zahida Yousuf under arrest in connection with murder of Wajiha Swati

RAWALPINDI:

Additional District and Sessions Judge Sahibzada Naqib Shehzad has rejected the bail plea of Zahida Yousuf, who was arrested in connection with obliterating the crime scene after the murder of US-Pakistani woman Wajiha Farooq Swati.

The judge said that the accused has committed a heinous crime and she could not be granted bail.

The defence lawyer said that the woman had been arrested without any reason. Nothing was recovered from her, and there is no evidence against her.

Shabnam Nawaz advocate, the female lawyer of the heirs of the slain American woman, said that the accused was involved in washing, evidence, the washing of crime scene of and removal of bloodstains. She was also equally involved in the crime. If she is granted bail, the crime rate may increase, and the accused will be encouraged.

After the arguments, the court rejected the bail application.

The accused including Rizwan Habib, the ex-husband of the victim, Hurriyatullah, Sultan, Rasheed and Yousuf are in jail. They were accused of deceitfully calling the victim from the US and brutally killing her in the area of Morgah Police Station. The deceased body was later recovered from Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. The court has also summoned witnesses from the investigation team at the next hearing.

Published in The Express Tribune, January 29^th, 2022.