Karachi police arrest main suspect in newlywed couple’s murder

KARACHI: Karachi police on Tuesday arrested the main suspect involved in the murder of a newlywed couple in an alleged honour killing case.

According to police, the accused, identified as Sajid, confessed to killing his sister and brother-in-law a day earlier in Karachi’s Saudabad area after they contracted a love marriage against the family’s wishes.

The couple had reportedly eloped and married of their own free will. Police said the woman’s family had arranged her engagement with a man name Gopang in exchange for Rs350,000. However the girl was not willing to marry with Gopang.

During interrogation, the suspect claimed that after his sister married someone else, her fiancé Gopang demanded the return of the money and pressured the family to kill the couple when the amount could not be repaid.

Police said Sajid admitted that he, along with Gopang riding the motorcycle, carried out the attack. The second suspect, Gopang, who was driving the motorcycle during the shooting, remains at large.

According to investigators, the victims were attacked while travelling in a car from the Malir court to Hyderabad. CCTV footage showed two men on a motorcycle approaching the vehicle in Saudabad, after which the pillion rider opened fire directly at the couple sitting inside the car.

The footage also showed the driver and another passenger fleeing the scene to save their lives, while the attackers escaped calmly after the shooting.

Investigators believe the suspects had been following the couple from the court premises.

Read More: CCTV footage reveals chilling details of couple’s killing

Police said the woman, identified as Nadia, had gone missing on May 18, prompting her father, Aslam, to register an abduction case the following day. The family had accused 25-year-old Nazirullah in the case.

On the day of the incident, Nadia and Nazirullah appeared before the Malir court and informed the judge that they had married willingly. They also submitted their nikahnama to the court.

According to police sources, the court discharged the couple under Section 63 of the Criminal Procedure Code (CrPC). However, shortly after leaving the court premises, armed assailants intercepted their vehicle in Saudabad and shot them dead on the spot.