LAHORE: A middle-aged man and his wife were kidnapped and then killed by nine members of the same family over a minor issue in the Hadyara Police precincts early on Saturday.

The victims were identified as Shafaat Ali alias Amli (40), and his wife Rasheedan Bibi (35).

Hadyara Area Deputy Superintendent of Police (DSP) Mirza Arif Rasheed told Daily Times that the children of the victim and Bundal Khan had quarrelled over a minor issue. He said that Bundal and his family, infuriated over the incident, had kidnapped and later shot them. He also said that police officers, after reaching the scene, moved the bodies of the deceased to the city morgue. He added that a case had been registered on the complaint of the victim’s brother Hadayat Ali against nine accused – Sajida, Hameedan Khan, Bundal Khan, Ansar, Umer, Sajawal, Akram, Aas Muhammad and Mansab Ali. He said that they had already arrested four of the accused.

Lock up: The brother of Rasheedan Bibi, Rasheed, told Daily Times that his nephew had informed him that Bundal and his family had kidnapped the victims and taken them to their home. Upon hearing the news, he, along with nine other men immediately reached the police station and met with Station House Officer (SHO) Malik Iqbal and asked him to recover the abductees. However, instead of raiding the kidnappers home, the SHO placed them under lock-up, alleging that they were involved in the crime.

Rasheed said that the conflict had started when Bundal had started abusing people praying at the neighbourhood mosque. He said that when the victim’s son tried to stop him, he abused his family and threatened to kill them using the loudspeakers of the mosque. He alleged that SHO Malik Iqbal and Assistant Sub-inspector (ASI) Akhtar were working with the killers.

Investigation: Despite repeated attempts, the SHO and ASI Akhtar were not available for comment. Talking about the involvement of the police officers, DSP Mirza Arif said investigations were still under way and he could not comment on the allegations until the police had probed into the matter.
Source: The News
Date:10/5/2008