Watta Satta: 2 found killed 6 months after exchange marriages

Family suspects a man who had proposed for one of the women.

RAJANPUR:

Two cousins married to each others’ brothers in an exchange marriage arrangement over six months ago were found killed in Kotla Androon in Rajanpur on Monday night.

An FIR registered in the case said Ameena* and Nabeela* were killed allegedly by one Bilal Gopang, who had wanted to marry the former before her marriage was arranged to Rasheed Ahmed, Nabeela’s brother. Nabeela had been married to Ameena’s brother, Qalander Ali. The FIR was registered on a complaint filed by Sikander Hayat, another brother of Nabeela.

Talking to The Express Tribune, Qalandar Ali said he suspected Hayat’s involvement in the murders. However, he said, he had not filed a complaint and would wait for the police to investigate the matter. He said his sister had not wanted to marry Ahmed initially but had later agreed and married him of her freewill.

Gopang has also been accused of kidnapping Rasheed Ahmed, Ameena’s husband, who is missing for three months.

Sikander Hayat submitted in the FIR Ameena had also wanted to marry Gopang but was forced by the family to honour the tradition and marry Ahmed.

The FIR quoted Hayat as saying that he and other members of the household were sleeping on Monday night when the suspect and his accomplices broke into his house and shot the two women. He said the suspects had fled by the time he rushed to the scene. The deceased had dozens of bullets wounds each, he added.

The FIR has been registered against Bilal Gopang and six unidentified suspects under Sections 302,148 and 149 of the Pakistan Penal Code.

Rasheed Ahmed had gone missing during a visit to his in-laws house three months ago. Gopang was accused of kidnapping Ahmed in an FIR registered at Fazilpur police station by Ahmed’s uncle Gul Zaman Khan.

Ahmed’s family had alleged that Gopang kidnapped him so that he could get married to Ameena.

The FIR registered on a complaint by Gul Muhammad Khan, Ahmed’s uncle, said Gopang had kidnapped Ahmed to get him out of the way and marry Ameena.

Ameena’s father Gamman Khan told The Tribune that Ahmed had went missing from Mad Laal Khan village where he had accompanied him and Ameena to a mela.

The two women had been staying at Gamman Khan’s house since then.

On Monday, Sikandar Hayat and his family brought the deceased to their Kotla Androon residence, where they were later found killed.

SHO Irshad Shamsi said the bodies had been sent to Rajanpur district headquarters (DHQ) hospital for an autopsy. He said police had arrested some men but refused to identify them.

*Names have been changed to protect identities

Published in The Express Tribune, March 14^th, 2012.