Father, in-laws booked in Sidra murder case

New CCTV footage shows victim’s body being transported for secret burial

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RAWALPINDI:

A significant progress has been made in the investigation of the alleged honour killing of a married woman in Fauji Colony, within the jurisdiction of Pirwadhai police station, carried out on the orders of a local jirga.

According to the police, three suspects directly involved in the murder have been identified, all of whom are brothers. The investigation team has said that the suspects include the victim’s father, Arab Gul, her father-in-law, Muhammad Saleh alias Saleem, and her uncle Mani Gul.

The investigation found that the three men suffocated the woman using a pillow in Mani Gul’s room. On the suspects' identification, police recovered the pillow used in the murder, as well as a bedsheet and other items used during the act.

Moreover, new CCTV footage has emerged in the case of 21-year-old Sidra’s alleged honour killing, reportedly carried out on the orders of a jirga in the Fauji Colony area of Rawalpindi’s Pirwadhai police jurisdiction. The footage shows her body being transported to the graveyard in a loader rickshaw on July 17.

In the video, around 10 to 15 people can be seen standing near a red-tarpaulin-covered rickshaw, looking at the deceased. The body of Sidra Arab is being brought to the cemetery in the loader. As the rickshaw enters the pathway next to the graveyard committee's office, two boys can be seen standing on its sides.

Due to rain, the body was covered with a red tarpaulin, which some individuals are seen lifting to look underneath. The footage clearly shows the presence of 10 to 15 people during the burial process.

Sidra Arab was reportedly suffocated to death on July 17 following a jirga's decision. Her body was later transported in the rain to the graveyard via loader rickshaw, buried, and the grave was deliberately erased to conceal the evidence. However, under court orders, her grave was exhumed and a postmortem was conducted.

Investigators said that a total of 14 men and women were involved in the planning and execution of the murder. So far, eight suspects remain at large.