Capital crime: Woman, neighbour killed ‘by step-son’

Daan Khan had earlier allegedly approached villagers with request to help declare the two karo kari.

RAJANPUR:

A woman and her neighbour were killed in a Rajanpur village on Thursday allegedly by her step-son who had suspected the two of having an illicit relationship.

Rojhan police have registered two FIRs in the matter on two complaints filed by brothers of deceased Fehmida, 30, and Shah Nawaz, 35, residents of Basti Jhullan.

Complainants Zulfiqar Ali, brother of Fehmida, and Rab Nawaz, brother of Shah Nawaz, have nominated Daan Khan, the main suspect; his father Muhammad Khan; a neighbour Shaukat and three unidentified men in their FIRs registered under Sections 302/34 and 302/109/34 of the Pakistan Penal Code, respectively.

Rojhan police station house officer Shaukat Ali told The Express Tribune that police had taken Muhammad Khan into custody and were interrogating him.

He said Muhammad Khan was accused of abetting the murderers. “The complainants suspect that Khan was on board the crime. They say he was present at the house when his son and his accomplices killed the woman,” he said.

SHO Ali said the bodies had been sent the Rajanpur district headquarters (DHQ) hospital for a post-mortem examination.

He said there were six bullet wounds in Fehmida’s body. The attackers first killed her and later raided Shah Nawaz and shot and killed him, he added. He said other suspects including Daan Khan had fled the village. He said teams had already been formed to raid the neighbouring villages to arrest them. Daan Khan had earlier allegedly approached several people in the village and tried to persuade them to declare the deceased karo kari, Ismail and Ahmed, who claim to be among those the suspect had contacted, told The Tribune. “He asked me to sit in the panchayat and sentence the two to death,” Ismail said. He said he had turned down the request on the suspect’s failure to produce any evidence in the matter. “Panchayat is part of our tradition but it does not allow people to go around killing on suspicion alone,” he said.

Ahmed said the suspect had not been able to bring any witnesses in support of his claim.

Rab Nawaz told The Tribune that Khan had came to his house three days ago and threatened to kill his brother. He said Shah Nawaz was not at home when Daan Khan came.

Fehmida was Muhammad Khan’s second wife whom he had married after the death of Daan Khan’s mother two years ago.

Talking to The Tribune, several villagers said the families of Shah Nawaz and Daan Khan enjoyed cordial relations.

They said they had never suspected the deceased of illicit relations and suggested that Daan may have mistaken friendly ties between the two as an affair.

Published in The Express Tribune, February 3^rd, 2012.