Double murder: Infant still missing as police ‘close in’

Cops claim case will be solved in next few days, no leads on child, victim’s husband released.

ISLAMABAD: Police investigators have said they are close to solving the alleged double-murder of a woman and her niece, whose dead bodies were found in a rented house in F-11/2 on Saturday. The woman’s child — missing since the incident took place— had, however, still not been recovered when this report was filed.

“We believe the person who has the infant girl might also be responsible for the murder,” Sub-inspector Amir Umar, who is investigating the case, told The Express Tribune. “We have some good leads and we expect to solve the case in a few days.”

The police found the bodies of Sabeen, 35, and her niece Shanza, 7, in a washroom on the rented-out first floor of the F-11/2 house.

Shalimar Police Station House Officer Shaukat Thabal said Shanza was Sabeen’s brother’s daughter and had been adopted by Sabeen and her husband Kashif Shehzad.

Meanwhile, the missing toddler, believed to be nine-months-old, is the biological daughter of Sabeen and Shehzad, who was detained by the police on Saturday for interrogation.

Umar said Kashif had been released from custody but police were still keeping tabs on him as a suspect.

The police had earlier said that Kashif had given contradictory statements during initial questioning. According to the police, he had also telephoned the servant of the landlord — who lives on the ground floor of the house — to get them to leave the house because of a break-in.

Instead, the servant informed Rescue 15. When policemen reached the house to search for robbers, they discovered the dead bodies.

Umar said the bodies were handed over to the family of the deceased, who are from Karachi.

He said strangulation is the apparent cause of death in the interim post-mortem report.

“Plastic bags were wrapped around the faces of the deceased to smother them,” he said.

Samples have been sent to Lahore for forensic analysis to determine if the woman and child were drugged before they were killed. The reports are expected to arrive on Tuesday, the police said.

The family had rented out the upper portion of the house some four months ago, according to the police.

Published in The Express Tribune, March 17^th, 2014.