Man held for slaying three minor sisters

Suspect confesses he committed crime out of jealousy

MUZAFFARGARH:

The killer of three innocent minor sisters in the city was revealed as their brother, who confessed to the murder on Wednesday.

Police stated that he committed the crime under the influence of the notorious videogame PUBG (PlayerUnknown's Battlegrounds). The suspect, addicted to the popular online game, was arrested and the knife used in the incident was also recovered from him.

In an initial statement given to police, Basit Ejaz had reported the abduction of the sisters and then changed his statement by stating that they were killed by unidentified persons. The accused is an avid fan of the game and a reported ice addict.

Sources said the accused is an employee of a sensitive institution and had come home on vacation and did not return to duty. When the police began searching the house, the accused reportedly tried to prevent the police from searching the house.

Basit tried to escape from the scene, but the police arrested him after searching the residence.

When he was interrogated after being transferred to CIA police, the accused confessed that he was jealous of the immense love his parents gave to his slain sisters, which is what motivated him to take their lives. He further said that he always fought with his family over them not giving him money.

According to police and the accused’s confession, the accused slaughtered the girls turn by turn with a knife in a vacant quarter neighbouring the family home.

After the murder, he approached police to register complaints regarding the disappearance of his sisters and pretended to search for them with the police throughout the night.

While addressing the press, DPO Syed Hasnain Raza said that police successfully arrested the killer within 12 hours of the incident by using modern technology. Funeral prayers for the slain girls, known as 7-year-old Fatima, 8-year-old Zahra and 11-year-old Arisha, were held in the residential colony of Thermal Power Station Muzaffargarh on Wednesday morning.

The parents took the bodies to their ancestral village in Chakwal for burial.

Published in The Express Tribune, July 20^th, 2023.