Couple gunned down ‘by son-in-law’

A man allegedly gunned down his mother-in-law and father-in-law on Saturday. Ladan police arrested the suspect and seized the murder weapon.

The victim Sahibzadi’s daughter, Shazia married a man named Rizwan around two-and-a-half months ago without her father’s consent. The color of the henna had not yet faded when she got angry and went to her parents’ house.

Rizwan came to Mauza Sharaf on Saturday to settle the matter and the conversation suddenly grew heated. After hurling verbal abuse, he allegedly drew a gun opened fire on Sahibzadi and her husband Allah Rakha. Sahibzai died on the spot, while Allah Rakha succumbed to his injuries after reaching the hospital.

Panic spread throughout the area after news of the incident broke out. When DPO Isa Khan was informed about the shooting, he reached the spot and immediately started the investigation after collecting evidence from the crime scene. DPO Vihari Isa Khan also reached the spot. The victims’ bodies were handed over to the heirs after a postmortem.

This is not the first instance of a man murdering his in-laws. In February of this year in Lahore, a man reportedly frustrated over his failure to reconcile with his estranged wife allegedly committed suicide after shooting his mother-in-law, sister-in-law and brother-in-law dead in Shahdara Town.

His wife, somehow, found an opportunity to escape and thus she survived the fury of her estranged husband.

Police said Waqas’s wife had gone to live at her parent’s house in Ittehad Park after having a domestic with her husband. SP City Raza Tanveer said that Waqas had gone to her parents’ house to persuade her to return home.

However, as Waqas tried to persuade his wife, they entered into an argument which infuriated Waqas who allegedly opened fire on his mother-in-law, brother-in-law and sister-in-law, killing them on the spot. He then shot himself dead as well.

The deceased were identified as Shughufta Bibi, Neha and Nauman. Neha was also pregnant at the time of her death. Police moved the bodies to a morgue for an autopsy and were investigating the matter further.

Separately in Pakpattan in March of this year, a man reportedly shot seven members of his family dead, including his mother and two brothers, over a property dispute. Local police told The Express Tribune that the suspect, Sarwar had murdered his mother, two brothers, two nephews, a niece and a sister-in-law. Another niece of the suspect was severely injured in the attack.

The suspected murderer fled the scene after the incident. Multiple contingents of police and Rescue 1122 arrived at the scene along with the crime scene department after the incident was reported.

Published in The Express Tribune, May 14^th, 2023.