Umme Rubab Chandio case: All accused acquitted in Mehar triple murder

DADU: A model criminal court on Monday announced its verdict in the high-profile Mehar triple murder case, acquitting all eight accused allegedly involved in the killing of Umme Rubab Chandio’s family following an eight-year-long legal battle.

Among those acquitted were Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) leaders Sardar Ahmed Chandio and his brother Burhan Khan Chandio, along with former SHO Karim Chandio, Sattar Chandio, Ali Gohar Chandio, Murtaza Chandio, Sikandar Chandio and Zulfiqar Chandio.

Strict security measures were in place in and around the court during the announcement of the verdict.

The gruesome incident took place in Mehar, Sindh, on January 17, 2018, when armed men attacked a house and killed Umme Rubab’s father, grandfather and an uncle.

Those killed included Raees Karamullah Chandio, then chairman of the Baldia Union Council in Mehar taluka, along with his two sons — Mukhtiar Chandio, a member of the district council, and another son who was associated with the Tumandar Council.

According to the family, the attack was allegedly carried out at the behest of Sardar Ahmed Chandio, a tribal chieftain in Mehar, and his younger brother Burhan Chandio, who was serving as an aide to the Sindh chief minister at the time.

Umme Rubab Chandio had been pursuing the case of her slain family members on her own, despite reportedly receiving death threats.

The case gained nationwide attention in 2021 when a video of a barefoot Umme Rubab walking out of a courtroom went viral on social media. Speaking to ARY News at the time, she accused the Sindh government of protecting those responsible for the killings.