Murder of married couple: Court remands seven suspects into police custody

Police believe the woman was eight months pregnant when she was killed.

HYDERABAD: Seven suspects, including a judge’s son, have been arrested in the gruesome murder case of a married couple whose bodies were found from Mori Mangar village of Hyderabad last week.

According to the police, the couple, Ishtiaq Ahmed and his wife Samia Detho, married against the will of their families and fled to Karachi in October, 2011, fearing attacks on their life by Detho’s family.

The couple’s location remained unknown till August when Samia’s father, Ahmed Detho, met them in Karachi and convinced the two to return. When they came back on August 23, Ishtiaq was shot dead and his body was thrown in the bushes while Samia was buried in the Yousuf Shah Graveyard.

Ishtiaq’s family, however, believed that either the two had escaped again or were kidnapped.

Though no postmortem has taken place, police believe that Samia was eight months pregnant when she was killed. District and sessions Judge Hasan Feroze has allowed the body to be exhumed on November 3  and directed the health department director general to constitute a board of doctors in this regard. Ishtiaq’s body appears to have been eaten by the animals as only some of his limbs and bones were found.

Suspect list

According to Hyderabad SSP Pir Farid Jan Sarhindi, 22 suspects have been nominated in the FIR, including senior civil judge Saleem Qambrani. “I have written to the Sindh High Court Chief Justice Mushir Alam to allow the police to investigate the civil judge,” said Sarhindi.

Seven suspects have been arrested so far, including the judge’s son Bilawal Qambrani. Investigating Officer Manzoor Wadho produced Raheem Detho, Haji Detho and Bilawal Qambrani in the Anti-Terrorism Court on Tuesday and they were remanded into police custody till November 5. The other four were remanded on Wednesday.  Investigators say that Haji Detho confessed to taking part in the killings.

The case was registered at the complaint of Ishtiaq’s brother, Ismail Shaikh, at the Paban police station.

Pointing fingers

According to the complainant, Dethos were opposed to Samia’s marriage with Ishtiaq. He said Judge Qambrani supported Dethos and tried to force the Ishtiaq’s family to return the girl. He said that a jirga attended by the judge fixed a penalty of giving two girls in marriage and Rs1 million in cash if Samia was not returned to her family. Investigation is underway to determine the role of the judge and his son in the murder.

Published in The Express Tribune, November 2^nd, 2012.