Pakpattan teacher murder case: Suspect Constable Zahid dies in police custody

PAKPATTAN: Constable Zahid Sukhera, the main accused in the kidnapping and murder of a female government schoolteacher in Pakpattan, died in police custody.

Zahid Sukhera, a wireless operator with the Pakpattan Patrolling Police, had been arrested in connection with the killing of Rehana Akhtar.

According to police, the victim was allegedly kidnapped by the cop with the help of accomplices and later murdered. Her body was then set on fire in an apparent attempt to conceal her identity.

District Police Officer (DPO) Javed Chaddar stated that the accused died of a heart attack while in custody. His body was shifted to the Pakpattan District Headquarters Hospital for post-mortem examination.

However, the family of the deceased constable has rejected the police version, alleging that he was tortured to death in custody. In a statement, his brother Shahid Ishaq Sukhera claimed that Zahid was falsely implicated in the case.

He said his brother was a pious man and insisted that he was killed due to police torture.

He further stated that Zahid had been on protective bail from the Sindh High Court and had returned to clear his name. He claimed that two false cases had been registered against him on the complaint of a single informant.

Earlier, police said the burned body of Rehana Akhtar was recovered from agricultural fields about 25 kilometers from the city within the jurisdiction of Rang Shah police station. The victim’s daughter identified the remains through footwear and personal belongings.

Authorities stated that the main suspect was a tenant in the victim’s house and allegedly committed the crime in an attempt to illegally occupy her property. Police have also arrested two additional suspects, identified as Asif and a woman. The suspect constable was reportedly on departmental leave for four days at the time of the incident.

An investigation into both the murder case and the suspect’s death in custody is underway.