Marriage dispute claims 4 lives
A man shot dead a woman, her son and daughter before turning the gun on himself in Mozang on Friday night allegedly over the rejection of his marriage proposal.
According to Mozang Station House Officer (SHO) Malik Khalid Mehmood, citing the First Information Report (FIR), the incident occurred in the early hours of Saturday in a residential building near Begum Road in the Mozang area. He said the suspect, Shahid Mahmood, a property dealer, forcibly entered a third-floor apartment and opened indiscriminate fire on the occupants.
According to the FIR lodged on the complaint of the victim's son-in-law, the attacker had apparently acted out of resentment after his marriage proposal had been rejected by the family.
The complainant, Moeez Khan, told the police that he had gone to visit his in-laws along with his wife on the night of the incident.
At around 2:00am, the suspect allegedly broke down the door and hurled threats before opening fire with a .30 bore pistol.
As a result of the shooting, Ayesha Bibi, the mother of the household, suffered critical bullet injuries and later succumbed to them at a hospital.
Her 21-year-old married daughter also died of bullet injuries.
An eight-year-old boy and 11-year-old girl were also wounded in the attack and the former died of the injuries. The injured victim suffered two bullet wounds.
Police officials said the attacker had also died on the spot after shooting himself in the head.
They said the several gunshots fired inside the apartment caused panic in the neighbourhood.
Local residents alerted emergency services by calling Rescue 15, prompting response from police and ambulance teams.
"The victims were immediately transported to a hospital, where doctors confirmed the deaths of two of them, while the suspected attacker was also declared dead," a police official said.
The FIR was registered under sections 302 (murder) and 324 (attempted murder) of the Pakistan Penal Code, along with provisions of the Punjab Arms Ordinance. The case was handed over to the investigation wing for inquiry.
Initial findings suggest that the attack was premeditated, with the suspect allegedly harbouring a grudge against the family over the rejection of a marriage proposal.
Investigators were also examining other possible motives, including personal enmity and property-related disputes, and no conclusion had yet been drawn.
Crime scene investigators collected forensic evidence from the apartment, including spent bullet casings and blood samples.
The police said statements from witnesses, including neighbours and relatives present at the scene, were being recorded to reconstruct the sequence of events. Civil Lines Investigations SP Khalid Saed directed the investigators to ensure a thorough probe.
The bodies were shifted to a morgue for post-mortem examination, while police presence in the area remained heightened for several hours following the incident.
An investigator said preliminary findings suggest Ayesha was allegedly in a relationship with the accused, Shahid Jutt, who had also been providing her financial support.
According to the investigator, tensions escalated after Shahid reportedly asked Ayesha to marry him, but she instead arranged her daughter's marriage to another man, identified as Moeez.
Police said Shahid was allegedly angered by the decision and investigators believe the dispute may have led him to take the extreme step.