LAHORE, Sept 25: Police claimed on Thursday to have arrested nine people to interrogate them for 11 murders in two incidents, which took place in the city on Wednesday.

As many as 11 people, including a former film actress, five members of her family and an ex-PML-N lawmaker’s son, were shot dead in different parts of the provincial metropolis.

No major breakthrough has been reported in the murder of the thespian and seven others, but police claimed that leads found so far by the investigators hinted at the involvement of a girl, who was allegedly bought by the actress from Peshawar to bring her to showbiz. However, she was thrown into prostitution.

Police said Nagina Khanum, 60, five members of her family and two servants were recovered dead from a room of her house at Allama Iqbal Town’s Zeenat Block.

Besides the actress, the other deceased were identified as her 30-year-old daughter Ambar Khanum, cousin Chanda Khatoon, 42, a relative and Puhsto film director Nasir Khan, 48, her two grandsons, Imran (12) and Kamran (16), and two servants Hayat, (28), and Sonia (18).

“This is a real challenge, which we are hoping to overcome,” claimed investigation police chief Chaudhry Shafqaat Ahmad. He said the case was complicated and the police had to take all aspects into account while investigating. Four teams had been assigned the task.

According to a police source from among the investigating teams, the actress had brought a girl from Peshawar some months ago with a promise to introduce her in the film industry. The girl, however, was thrown into prostitution and that sow a contention between her family and that of the actress.

He added that the actress insisted that she had purchased the girl and now her family had nothing to do with her. The girl’s family said they would not allow her to be a prostitute.

The source said the lead was found from the actress’s son Ali, who is the only survivor at the house. He was taken into custody, but he insisted that he did not hear any gunshots, a fact which the police was not ready to believe.

The police have also picked up Kaynat alias Shamma, the widow of Hayat, together with four members of her family. Hayat reportedly contracted a love marriage with Kaynat, whose family did their best to get her divorced and finally did not allow her to live with the actress. The actress, it is believed, always frustrated the family’s efforts to take her back. The police investigators said this family might be involved in the crime. Further investigation in the case is under way.

Meanwhile, the actress and others in the family were buried at a graveyard at Karim Block. The body of the driver was taken to Jhang and that of the Pushto film director to Peshawar.

EX-MPA’S SON: Khwaja Rizwan Mahmood, the eldest son of former PML-N MPA Khwaja Riaz Mahmood, together with a friend Dr Shahid and a guard was murdered at Rang Mehal.