DNA mix-up prompts second exhumation in honour killing case

First samples reportedly belonged to elderly woman after grave was wrongly identified

KOTRI:

A court-supervised second exhumation was carried out on Sunday to collect fresh forensic samples from the remains of a 21-year-old woman allegedly murdered in the name of honour in Jamshoro district, after the first attempt failed to establish her identity through DNA testing because the grave had reportedly been wrongly identified.

The exhumation of Zulekhan was conducted at Jiye Shah graveyard under the supervision of Second Civil Judge and Judicial Magistrate Aamir Riaz Rasool Memon. A medical board comprising Additional Police Surgeon Dr Muhammad Adeel Rajput, Dr Madiha Sheikh, Dr Asad Memon and other officials collected samples from the remains for laboratory analysis.

Zulekhan was allegedly drugged and strangled to death on May 22, 2025, in the Syedabad area of Jamshoro district. Following the incident, Kotri DSP Shah Nawaz Jokhio told a press conference that the woman had allegedly been killed by her two brothers, Abdullah and Sanaullah, uncle Muhammad Ibrahim, nephew Saddam and maternal uncle Saifullah. Police had announced the arrest of three suspects, but the accused were subsequently released on bail.

The first exhumation was conducted after the grave was identified by the victim's brother Abdullah and maternal uncle Muhammad Alam Bardi. Fourteen samples were collected, but DNA testing reportedly failed to match the victim, with the samples instead found to belong to an elderly woman.

The victim's mother, Sher Bano, challenged the identification of the grave, prompting the court to order a second exhumation. This time, the grave was identified by the mother herself, and the newly collected samples have been sent for chemical and forensic analysis.

The victim's husband, Nadeem Bardi, has not been included in the case because of a reported mental illness.