GUJRAT: The Crime Control Department (CCD) arrested two inspectors of Gujrat Police for ‘arresting’ a woman who had contracted a court marriage and handing her over to her family who killed her for contracting the marriage of will with a man of their rival family.

Those arrested were identified as Gujrat Saddar SHO Fahadur Rehman and Inspector Ijaz Ahmed who were reportedly involved in abetting the accused in the honour killing case.

A senior officer of the CCD confirmed the arrest of inspectors.

A young woman, Zara Mujahid, belonging to Chak Sikandar village of Saddar Lalamusa had contracted the court marriage with a man of her choice after which they both settled in Islamabad/Rawalpindi around nine months ago.

Police had arrested woman and handed her over to her family for murder

Zara’s family lodged a theft case with the Saddar Lalamusa Police Station on Jan 23, 2026 against unidentified suspects for stealing Rs150,000, instead of a kidnap case.

The Lalamusa Saddar police, under the then SHO Fahad, later took the couple into custody from their residence, handed over Zara to her parents and made entry of the arrest of only her husband.

Rana Umar Farooq was the Gujrat DPO when all that happened with the alleged facilitation of the police.

However, around three months ago, police were alarmed over the possible threat to her life and they asked the family to present the woman to the police station but the family remained reluctant.

A CCD official said Inspector Ijaz was also involved in facilitating the family to get the time in producing the woman to the police station.

The family had reportedly killed Zara and took her dead body to Jahanian town of district Khanewal where, with the help of some other relatives, they buried her at the night between May 13 and 14.

The then Gujrat DPO Akhtar Farooq took notice after which Saddar Lalamusa police registered a case of honour killing against 17 people of Zara’s family, including her parents, brother and six unidentified suspects, on the report of Sub-Inspector Zaigham Abbas on June 10.

The investigation into the case was later handed over to the CCD that arrested both inspectors. The investigation has also revealed that Zara’s husband is still in jail. According to investigators, the accused family had arranged his bail but he refused to leave the prison, saying that he had not filed for the bail and that his life was in danger if he moved out of the jail. The authorities later kept him there in safe custody under 16-MPO.

Seventeen members of Zara’s family were nominated in the FIR of her murder. Out of them, 11 were identified, including her parents while, six were unidentified. Ten of the 11 identified are in police custody while one has fled the country.

Published in Dawn, September 23rd, 2026