Teenage girl axed to death for ‘free-will marriage’

A man allegedly axed his 15-year-old granddaughter to death for marrying of her own free will in Awami Colony, Korangi, on Saturday. The accused, Shareef was subsequently arrested, and the murder weapon was recovered from his possession.

According to a spokesperson for Korangi police, the gruesome murder occurred in Marfani Goth, where the body of the victim, identified as Shehzadi, was found. Shehzadi was the daughter of Allah Bachayo.

Nasir Mehmood, SHO Awami Colony police station, confirmed that the victim was the daughter of Shareef’s nephew. Preliminary investigations revealed that Shehzadi had married her acquaintance in Jamshoro a year ago. Shareef reportedly brought her back to Karachi before murdering her in what he claimed was an act of honour.

Cases of killing women in the name of honour are on the rise in city.

On Friday, a woman was shot dead by her brothers for expressing her desire to get married for the third time, in Sherpao Basti. Police reached the spot after being informed and shifted the body to Jinnah Hospital.

Bahadurabad police station SHO, Muhammad Naeem said that the victim, 42-year-old Waheeda Bibi, was twice a widow and wanted to get married for the third time.

“To discuss her will for the third marriage, she had visited her brothers’ house where the dispute arose between them.

The police have found two shells of a 30-bore pistol from the crime scene while the accused fled from the scene. A search has been initiated to arrest the accused, the SHO said. The deceased woman leaves behind eight children.

Meanwhile, on July 22, a young couple who had run away a few months ago to get married were found dead at their home in Manghopir area.

The bodies of 22-year-old-Adil Noor Muhammad and 20-year-old Saira Luqman Khan bore multiple marks of stabbing and gunshots at the small house they had rented in a slum to start a life of their own choice.

Police suspect the brothers of the woman committed the murders, however, as usual in the cases of the so-called honour killing, no one in the neighbourhood saw or heard any gunshot or cries of the victims.