Man hammers niece, nephew to death for cell phone

KARACHI: The police arrested a man who allegedly stabbed his young nephew and niece at their house in Orangi Town on Thursday.

Investigators suspect that the man killed the siblings as they resisted when he tried to steal a mobile phone from their house in sector 11-E, Orangi Town.

The elder brother of the victims, Zubair, with the help of residents, captured the accused Sajid, 21, while he was trying to escape from the scene.

The victims’ father, Nasir, is a driver by profession and lives alone in the same locality after separating from his wife.

The incident occurred when the two children, nine-year-old Zainab and six-year-old Saud, were alone at the house while their elder brother went outside to buy bread for lunch.

Zubair told the police that his uncle was forcing his sister to give him a mobile phone, threatening her by saying that he knew she had one. When Zainab refused, he took a hammer and crushed her head with it.

“When Zainab screamed, Saud rushed to the room and the uncle hit his head as well,” Zubair narrated.

“I could not understand what happened as everything happened very quickly,” he said, adding that their uncle immediately tried to escape when he saw him coming.

“I shouted at him while I was running behind him until the neighbours and I managed to get hold of him,” he said. “The police arrived at the scene because someone from the crowd informed them.” The crowd beat him up and hauled him off to the police.

Majeed Marwat, an inquiry officer, said that both victims died on the spot. Their brother used to work in the agriculture department. “We just have recorded Zubair’s statement and now the police have to investigate the case,” the officer said.

Referring to the accused, the officer said that he is “mute” and has not been cooperating with the investigators. The police have yet to register the case.

Published in The Express Tribune, July 16^th, 2010.