Police in Rawalpindi have travelled to Muzaffarabad as part of an ongoing investigation into the alleged honour killing of 21-year-old Sidra Arab in the Pirwadhai area.
The team, led by Sub-Inspector Shoaib Ahmed, aims to verify the victim’s alleged second marriage to a man named Usman and obtain related documentation. Usman and his family will be formally included in the investigation, and their statements will be recorded, police sources said.
Read: 405 honour killings recorded across Pakistan in 2024: HRCP
Sidra was murdered in what police suspect was a family-led killing tied to her marital choices.
Seven suspects—Ismatullah, Ziaur Rehman, Arab Gul, Amani Gul, Zafarullah, Saleh Muhammad, and rickshaw driver Khayal Muhammad—remain in police custody on physical remand.
Two others, gravedigger Rashid Mehmood and cemetery committee secretary Saifur Rehman, are in judicial custody at Adiala Jail.
Police have also seized CCTV footage from Ismatullah’s residence, but said decoding the device’s DVR system has proven difficult. Technical experts have been brought in to assist.
Read more: Young couple found shot dead in suspected 'honour killing' in Karachi
Authorities said they are particularly examining activity captured between 11 and 17 July and in the days that followed.
Police have so far recovered key evidence including the loader rickshaw allegedly used to move Sidra’s body, grave-digging tools, and other material. The pillow reportedly used in the killing remains unaccounted for.
Samples collected during the exhumation have been submitted to the Punjab Forensic Science Agency in Lahore.
The physical remand of the suspects is due to end on Friday, August 1, when police are expected to present them before court and brief the judge on investigative progress.
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