LAHORE – An anti-terrorism court yesterday remanded a man into police custody for seven days on the charges of burning his sister Zeenat Rafiq for honour killing. Factory area police produced suspect Anees before the court and sought his 14-day physical remand saying that he was concealing facts.
Police said his remand was required as they have to investigate him as the horrible incident gripped the society in fear and panic. However, the court granted 7-day physical remand of the accused with directives for the police produce him on next hearing with investigation report.
Earlier, the police arrested Anees from his relatives’ house as he went missing since the day his sister was found burnt at her parent’s house in Factory Area. Perveen Rafiq, the mother of the victim girl, and her son-in-law Mushtaq were already in police custody on physical remand. Police would produce both accused Perveen and Mushtaq before the court for further remand on Thursday (today).
On June 8, 2016, police arrested Perveen Rafiq after she doused her daughter with kerosene and burnt her alive, allegedly because the girl had defied her family to marry a man she was in love with.
Hassan Khan, husband of deceased Zeenat Rafiq, who is a motorcycle mechanic by profession, filed complaint against the victim’s family with Factory Area police station. Hassan, in his statement, contended that he contracted love marriage with the victim on May 29 through a local court.
Three days before her murder, victim’s cousin Mushtaq Ahmad visited his house and asked her to go back home for a formal wedding reception.
On the day of incident, Hassan Khan got information that his in-laws were subjecting his wife to torture.
He rushed there along with his father and witnessed that his brother in law Mushtaq and mother-in-law were setting her ablaze. As a result, she received multiple burns and died on the spot. Police after being informed reached the scene and collected evidences. The suspect, Parveen Rafiq, has confessed to tying up her 18-year-old daughter Zeenat Rafiq to a cot after which, with the help of her son Ahmar Rafiq she poured the oil on the girl and set her ablaze.Police have said the teenager was killed by her mother after marrying Hasan Khan, her long-term boyfriend.
