Civil Lines police in Rawalpindi solved the blind murder of a 75-year-old woman on Friday by arresting her granddaughter and the granddaughter's husband for killing the victim to obtain her gold jewelry. The suspects, identified as Bisma Kanwal and her husband Babar Ali, were taken into custody after a case was registered on June 29 against unknown killers. The police stated that the detained individuals murdered Zahra Khatun and attempted to frame it as a natural death.
Discovery of Violence During Funeral Bath
The case took a sinister turn the morning after the death when women administering the traditional funeral bath noticed deep bruises and a severe wound on the back of the elderly woman's head. They immediately raised alarms that she had not died of natural causes. Upon being informed, a police team moved the body to Rawalpindi Teaching Hospital (RTH) mortuary. A preliminary medical examination revealed a bleeding wound on the head, two dark bruises on the forehead, and three distinct marks around the neck, strongly pointing towards physical assault or strangulation.
Investigation and Confession
Based on the post-mortem report, the Civil Lines Police registered the case and included the victim's granddaughter and her husband in the investigation. During questioning, the suspects confessed to the murder. According to the police, the arrested suspects strangled the victim out of greed for a small amount of money, removed her gold jewelry, and sold it. The FIR was registered on the complaint of Muhammad Shahzad, son of the deceased and resident of Dhoke Chiraghdin, on June 29. The police registered a formal case under section 302 (intentional murder) of the Pakistan Penal Code (PPC) against unidentified culprits initially.
Second Murder Case Over Wage Dispute
In a separate incident, Sadiqabad police arrested a man for stabbing his maternal cousin to death over a dispute of Rs300 in Dhoke Kala Khan area on July 6. According to the FIR registered on July 6 evening, the victim, identified as 25-year-old Haider Ali, worked as a laborer at a local chicken shop owned by his paternal cousins near Ghousia Masjid. The complainant, Faiz Muhammad, stated that his son had been demanding his outstanding wages for the past two to three days from his employer, identified as Umair Arif.
Heated Argument Leads to Fatal Attack
The situation escalated when the victim's family went to the shop to resolve the matter. During the discussion, a heated argument broke out between Haider Ali and the suspect. “In a fit of rage, the suspect attacked my son with a sharp butcher’s knife, inflicting multiple fatal wounds to his chest and torso before fleeing the crime scene,” the complainant stated in the FIR. Rescue 1122 was immediately called to the scene. The critically injured youth was rushed to Benazir Bhutto Hospital (BBH), but he succumbed to his severe wounds before arrival, where doctors officially pronounced him dead. Sadiqabad Police registered a murder case under section 302 of PPC against the fleeing suspect, Umair Arif.
