GUJRAT: A youth allegedly killed his aunt by slitting her throat at her house in People’s Colony, Gujranwala, on Tuesday, later claiming that she had “committed blasphemy” three months back.

Reports say that the suspect, Ghulam Murslaeen of Multan, arrived at the house of victim Farah (30) (sister of his father) when her two children were at school and her husband Shahzad was at work.

The suspect allegedly slit Farha’s throat with a sharp knife, leaving her dead on spot. He then came out of the house carrying the blood-stained knife and started shouting that he punished his aunt for “committing blasphemy”.

Meanwhile, locals gathered at the scene and some of them started beating the suspect with cricket bats and kicks, leaving him injured. On being called by some area residents, police reached the spot and arrested the suspect.

A team of the Punjab Forensic Science Agency (PFSA) also reached the spot and collected evidence from the crime scene.

The victim’s dead body was shifted to the district headquarters hospital for autopsy.

Police high-ups have constituted a special investigation team led by the Gujranwala SSP investigation to probe the incident.

Official sources say that as per the initial police investigation, the suspect stated that his aunt had visited his house in Multan around three months ago, where during some discussions, she allegedly uttered derogatory remarks against some holy figures of Islam.

The suspect also stated that he was inspired by some religious scholars, and after listening to their lectures on social media, he concluded that his aunt had committed blasphemy, following which he decided to kill her.

However, a police spokesman says that the suspect might be trying to mislead investigators through blasphemy allegations to conceal the actual motive behind the crime. He says that the case would be investigated from all aspects.

The deceased woman had been married to Shahzad of Gujranwala around 13 years ago and the couple had a son and a daughter aged 10 and 12 years.

Police have registered a case against the nominated suspect under section 302 of the Pakistan Penal Code on the report of Shahzad.

However, in the first information report (FIR) lodged with the People’s Colony police station, the alleged issue of blasphemy has not been mentioned.

Published in Dawn, October 22nd, 2025