Husband, neighbour held in double murder case

Police on Tuesday claimed to have solved the double murder of a woman and her young daughter within hours, arresting the victim's husband and a neighbour for allegedly planning and carrying out the killings in the city's Gajjakh area.

Police said the prime suspect was identified as Mustafa, husband of the deceased woman Nida, while his alleged accomplice was their neighbour Yasir.

Both suspects were taken into custody and have allegedly confessed to the crime during interrogation.

Police said Mustafa had domestic disputes with his wife and allegedly conspired with Yasir to kill her, offering him money in return for assistance.

Investigators said the suspect initially tried to mislead police by claiming his wife was not answering her phone and attempted to portray the incident as suspicious.

However, police said modern investigative techniques and swift action exposed the alleged plot, leading to the arrest of both suspects within hours.

The case came to light after the bodies of Nida and her minor daughter were found inside their home in Rehmatpura, Gajjakh, on Sunday.

Police said both victims had their throats slit with a sharp-edged weapon.

Following the incident, City Police Officer Gujranwala visited the crime scene, took strict notice and ordered the immediate arrest of those involved.

Police said the accused were likely to be presented before the media.

Three suspects killed in 'encounters'

In a separate development, Gujranwala police and the Crime Control Department (CCD) claimed three alleged criminals were killed in four separate police encounters across the district, while two others were arrested in injured condition.

According to CCD officials, two alleged robbers identified as Shoaib and Zubair were killed in an exchange of fire after they allegedly attacked a CCD team while being taken for recovery of stolen items.

Police said both suspects were involved in more than 120 criminal cases, including robbery and street crime, and had repeatedly returned to crime despite prior arrests.

Officials said Zubair was wanted in 65 cases and Shoaib in 56.

In another encounter in the Sabzi Mandi police precinct, an inter-district narcotics suspect identified as Zafar Iqbal was killed allegedly by the firing of his own accomplices during a police raid. Police said the suspect had a criminal record in Gujranwala, Faisalabad and Nankana Sahib and was wanted in multiple drug cases.