Sialkot police arrested a woman and her accomplices on Sunday for allegedly killing her pregnant daughter-in-law on the suspicion of witchcraft.
Earlier this week, 30-year-old Zara Bibi was allegedly killed by her mother-in-law and sister-in-law over a domestic dispute in tehsil Daska of district Sialkot on Tuesday.
The body of the victim was dismembered, stuffed into a sack, and disposed of in a drain.
Shabbir Ahmed, the victim’s father, reported to police that Zara was married to Qadir Ahmed, a resident of Kotli Meeran, tehsil Daska, four years ago and the couple had a two-year-old son.
Shabbir said when he called his daughter, he found her mobile phone switched off.
He went to meet his daughter at her in-laws’ residence in Kotli Meeran but found that she was not home, while her in-laws expressed ignorance of her whereabouts.
Shabbir alleged that Zara’s mother-in-law and her sister-in-law used to torture his daughter.
Malik Waqas Ahmed, the spokesperson for the Sialkot District Police Officer (DPO), told Dawn.com that the Motra Tehsil Police Station had registered a first information report (FIR) against five persons, including the mother-in-law Sughran Bibi.
Sialkot DPO Rana Umar Farooq formed an investigation team led by the Daska deputy superintendent of police (DSP) after Zara’s disappearance. The spokesperson added that police had taken one of the suspects, Abdullah, into custody. He was named in the FIR on the basis of suspicion.
Malik said that Abdullah confessed to killing Zara along with his family members during the investigation, adding that police arrested Sughran Bibi, her daughter Yasmin Bibi, and a relative named Mohammad Naveed after Abdullah identified them.
The spokesperson added that the four suspects confessed to the murder.
“During the police investigation, Sughran Bibi said that her daughter-in-law used to perform magic,” Malik told Dawn.com. “The suspect said that Zara Bibi had been strangled to death. Later, the dead body was cut into pieces and sealed in five sacks to hide it.”
Malik added that police had seized the murder weapon and that the victim’s face was burned so she could not be identified.
He added that the couple live abroad due to Qadir’s job and that Zara came to Pakistan fifteen days ago. “Ten days ago, I left Zara at her in-laws in Kotli Meeran,” he said.
Shabir said that Sughran Bibi and her daughter Yasmin Bibi did not like that Zara went abroad with her husband.
Shabir Ahmad said that Qadir returned to Pakistan after finding out about the murder.
DPO Rana Umar Farooq said that the investigation is ongoing and that police “will investigate the murder case from every angle”.
