Body of Italian woman exhumed for autopsy

GUJRAT: The body of an Italian woman of Pakistani origin, who was allegedly murdered for honour by her father, uncle and brother in Gujrat district, was exhumed on Wednesday for post-mortem to determine the exact cause of her death.

The body of 26-year-old Sana Cheema was exhumed in the presence of a magistrate, doctor and police officials, ARY News reported.

A post-mortem examination of the deceased has been carried out with her body parts sent to a laboratory for tests. Her autopsy report is likely to unravel the mystery surrounding her death.

The police took notice of the news reports in Italian media, which said that Cheema had been murdered in honour killing.

The deceased wanted to marry a man of her choice in Italy against the wishes of her family members, who wanted her to marry someone in the family.

The victim’s family members, however, denied the allegations of her murder, saying she died of natural causes.

The Gujrat police have arrested three suspects, including the victim’s father Ghulam Mustafa Cheema, her brother Adnan Cheema and her uncle Mazhar Iqbal Cheema, for their alleged involvement in the crime.

A murder case was lodged against them on a complaint filed by Kunjah police station SHO Waqar Gujjar.

A day earlier, the Italian Foreign Ministry in a statement said, it has been following the case through its embassy in Islamabad. The embassy is gathering information to define the circumstances that led to her death, it added.