RAWALPINDI:
Significant progress has been reported in the investigation into the honour killing of 21-year-old Sidra, which took place in the jurisdiction of Rawalpindi’s Pirwadhai Police Station.
A Rawalpindi police team has been dispatched to Muzaffarabad to verify Sidra’s alleged marriage with her second husband, Usman. His family will also be formally included in the investigation, and their statements will be recorded.
According to police sources, the investigation team, headed by Sub-Inspector Shoaib Ahmed, departed for Muzaffarabad, Azad Kashmir. Their primary objective is to confirm the alleged marriage of Sidra with Usman, obtain official documentation of the marriage, and record statements from Usman and members of his family.
Meanwhile, seven suspects in the case, including Ismatullah, Ziaur Rehman, Arab Gul, Amani Gul, Zafarullah, Saleh Muhammad, and rickshaw driver Khayal Muhammad, remain in police custody on physical remand. Two other suspects, gravedigger Rashid Mehmood and cemetery committee secretary Saifur Rehman, have been sent to jail on judicial remand.
Police have also taken possession of the DVR of CCTV cameras from Ismatullah’s house and have initiated the process of decoding its contents. However, officials have faced technical challenges in decoding the device, prompting the hiring of technical experts. Investigators are particularly interested in footage recorded between July 11 and 17 and in the period immediately following the incident.
So far, the investigation has led to the recovery of the loader rickshaw used to transport Sidra’s body, grave-digging tools, and other key evidence. However, the pillow believed to have been used in the murder has not yet been recovered.
