Man hacks wife to death

Victim's family walked in as suspect was dismembering body

LAHORE:

Green Town Investigation police claimed to have arrested a man for hacking his wife to death with a cleaver.

DIG Investigation Syed Zeeshan Raza formed a team led by SP Investigation Sadar Moazzam Ali to arrest the suspect.

Police said the suspect, Muhammad Hayyat, a resident of Bahawalnagar, killed his wife, Nabila Bibi, on May 30 with repeated cleaver blows at his residence in Sher Chowk, Green Town, allegedly over suspicions of infidelity.

The couple, married since 2008, had three children and had been living separately due to ongoing disputes.

Nabila had moved in with her brother, Muhammad Ashfaq. As per the FIR registered at Green Town Police Station, Hayyat approached Nabila's family on the day of the incident, claiming reconciliation and requesting custody of the children to resume family life.

Trusting his words, Nabila and her three children went with him. Hours later, he called her brother, Muhammad Ashfaq, asking him to visit his home to "settle the matter once and for all."

What Ashfaq and other family members found upon arrival was a horrifying scene: Hayyat was allegedly dismembering Nabila's body with a cleaver. The accused openly admitted to the murder and threatened the family with violence.

Police say preliminary investigations suggest the motive behind the murder was Hayyat's suspicion that his wife had developed an illicit relationship with a man named Saleem.

The level of violence and premeditation in the crime has drawn condemnation from civil society and women's rights activists.

DIG Investigation Syed Zeeshan Raza vowed that the accused would be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law. "This case is a grim reminder of the brutality domestic violence can escalate into. There will be no leniency," he stated.