KAGHAN: Mansehra police have arrested a man for allegedly killing his wife by striking her on the head with a stone and later staging her death as an accidental fall from a cliff in the Dheri Manwar area of Kaghan.

In a statement on social media, Mansehra police said that the victim had married the accused, Rustam, son of Daplazir, around 10 months ago against her family’s wishes. Her family had reportedly severed ties with the couple following the marriage.

Police said the woman’s family was informed on August 12 that she had fallen from a cliff and died.

However, an investigation later revealed that the woman had allegedly been struck on the head with a stone and killed, while the accused attempted to portray her death as an accidental fall from the mountain.

Police said the alleged motive for the murder was the husband’s second marriage. The victim’s brother had also told police that Rustam allegedly subjected his sister to harsh treatment.

SHO Kaghan Sadaqat Khan, along with a police team and investigators, reached the remote and difficult-to-access crime scene after nearly four hours of trekking. The team collected evidence from the site as part of the investigation.

Police subsequently arrested Rustam, who confessed to the crime during interrogation and identified the location where the incident took place.

The accused was produced before a court, where police said he also confessed to the murder. The court sent him to jail on judicial remand for further legal proceedings.

Similar case in Karachi

In a separate case, Karachi police had earlier arrested a man for allegedly staging his own death to evade creditors.

Police solved the mystery of a burnt body found inside a car near Zero Point in Surjani Town and arrested trader Zeeshan Naz, who allegedly killed an innocent man and staged the victim’s death as his own, according to ARY News.

Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP) West Tariq Mastoi said Zeeshan allegedly planned the fake murder with the help of an accomplice to escape heavy debts.

Police said the body recovered from the vehicle did not belong to Zeeshan. Using biometric evidence and other investigative techniques, investigators identified the deceased as Qurban, a resident of Muzaffargarh who had reportedly been missing for a long time.