Headway made in family murder probe

Accused confesses to killing father, sisters, & infant nephew over property dispute

RAWALPINDI:

Saddar Beroni Police achieved major progress in the investigation of the brutal killing of a man, his two daughters, and an infant grandson, getting the suspect's DNA tested, and recovering the second knife used in the attacks. Both weapons were found to be ordinary kitchen utensils.

Sources associated with the investigators told The Express Tribune that the accused Muhammad Ali underwent DNA testing and was then remanded to jail under judicial custody. His DNA was obtained after being identified by the complainant, Hamza Izhar, through the Punjab Forensic Science Agency (PFSA).

The police also secured blood-stained clothes belonging to the deceased, Anjum Zahra, and her infant son, Salar, who later died from his injuries during treatment. The investigating team additionally recovered the baby's blanket. Statements from eyewitnesses at the crime scene, along with testimony from the site map draftsman and the malkhana in charge, have also been recorded.

Efforts are underway to secure the custody of two of the suspect's brothers, currently held in Islamabad, on charges of assisting in the murders of their father and sister, as well as in planning and covering up the crime.

The sources revealed that Muhammad Ali confessed to killing his father, Mehmood Hussain, and his sister, Shabnam Zahra, in Irfanabad, Islamabad, on August 11. Later that same day, he travelled to Adiala Road, Rawalpindi, where he murdered his other sister, Anjum Zahra, and fatally injured her infant son. He admitted that the killings had been carried out in collusion with his brothers, Sabahat and Shujaat, and their maternal uncle, as part of a property dispute.

Investigators confirmed that Ali used two knives during the murders, both recovered by police, and both taken from the household kitchen rather than newly purchased.

It also emerged that after killing his father and sister in Islamabad, Ali fell from his motorcycle while heading towards Adiala. The bike sustained scratches, and he suffered minor injuries, but he remounted and continued to his sister's home, where he carried out the second attack.

Police sources added that the federal capital police are expected to take Muhammad Ali into custody shortly for further questioning, after securing a physical remand from a local court.

The accused, who worked for a private electronics company, is facing two separate cases—one registered at Sadar Berooni Police Station, Rawalpindi, and the other at Shehzad Town Police Station, Islamabad.