Man gets four death penalties for killing wife, three children
An additional district and sessions court in Lodhran has sentenced a man to four counts of the death penalty and imposed a fine of Rs200,000 after finding him guilty of poisoning his wife and three children in 2023.
Additional Sessions Judge Muhammad Ayaz announced the verdict, convicting the accused, Saghir Abbas, on four separate counts of murder.
According to the prosecution, the convict poisoned his wife, Rukhsana Bibi, and three of their children, Ghayoor Fatima, Muhammad Anas, and Muhammad Fawad, at their residence in Gulshan-e-Madina Colony in February 2023.
After the killings, he allegedly kept the bodies inside the house for several days, causing a strong stench in the neighbourhood.
The crime came to light when neighbours alerted police after noticing a foul smell emanating from the house.
Police from City Police Station Lodhran forced entry into the locked premises and recovered decomposed bodies from inside.
In her statement to police, the deceased woman's sister, Razia Bibi, said her sister had been married to Saghir Abbas for around 20 to 22 years.
The couple had four children, including a teenage daughter and three sons. She stated that the family had recently shifted from their ancestral village near Jalalpur Pirwala to Lodhran.
Razia told investigators that she had been unable to contact her sister for nearly two to three weeks, which raised her concerns.
On February 26, 2023, she visited the house and found the door locked from inside. When the accused opened the door, he appeared nervous and fled as relatives entered the house.
She said a strong odour was coming from a room where the bodies of three children were found lying on mattresses in a decomposed state.
While searching the house, the family discovered Rukhsana Bibi's body on a charpoy on the rooftop.
The condition of the bodies suggested they had been dead for over a week.
Razia alleged that the accused had an interest in amulets and black magic and expressed her firm belief that he had administered poison to kill the victims.
Police registered FIR under Sections 302 and 337 of the Pakistan Penal Code at City Police Station Lodhran and arrested the accused.
After completing the investigation, challan was submitted to the trial court based on what prosecutors described as solid evidence.
Upon conclusion of the trial, the court handed down separate death sentences for each of the four murders and collectively imposed a fine of Rs200,000.
District Police Officer Captain (retd) Ali Bin Tariq said the conviction was the result of professional investigation and strong prosecution, calling it "a victory for justice."
He added that ensuring strict punishment in heinous crimes and delivering justice to affected families remains the top priority of the police.