28 June 2004	Monday	09 Jamadi-ul-Awwal 1425

RIYADH, June 27: A Filipino man who allegedly killed two Pakistani women in Riyadh is still to be apprehended, according to the Pakistani mission in Riyadh.

The two women were killed when the assailant posing as a fumigator entered their villa on Thursday evening. A spokesman for the Pakistani Embassy yesterday said that Amina Abdullah and Amina Nuzhat Usman were killed in what appeared to be a case of assault and murder.

Five-month pregnant Amina Abdullah, 28, was the wife of Syed Atif Usman, a chemical engineer working for a company in Riyadh. Mr Atif Usman's mother Amina Nuzhat Usman, 55, had joined the couple just two weeks ago. They were green card holders and were about to leave for the United States for permanent stay there.

Atif married his college classmate, Amina, only a year ago.

At the time of the attack, Atif was at work and both women were alone in the villa at the posh Seder Village, Amina and Nuzhat were busy voice chatting on the Internet with their relatives in the US when the killer entered the villa through a door that probably had been left open. It appears that the assailant, posing as a fumigator entered the area at about 8pm, said Parvez Junejo, community welfare officer at the Pakistan Embassy. However, he added, there were no eyewitnesses to the murder.

Atif was alerted through a phone call from his relatives in the United States, who informed him that they had heard some noises inside the villa. The US relatives were apparently disconnected from the voice chat when the alleged assassin attacked the woman. Police have seized the weapons they believe were used by the assailant.

Mr Junejo said the assassin has not used a knife but some sharp objects and wooden blocks attached with nails. The Filipino frequently visited his colleagues in the compound after having lost his job a month ago. It appeared that the two women resisted and called for help, embassy officials said. Atif's father was Syed Usman Ghani Rashid, an advocate-general of Sindh and Balochistan High Courts.

Pakistani Ambassador Admiral (retired) Abdul Aziz Mirza said this was the first murder case in about a year reported from around one million Pakistani workers in the kingdom.

"The bodies may be released in three or four days and will be flown to Pakistan," Mr Junejo said.

"We have informed the Ministry of Foreign Affairs about the murder while pursuing the case with local police," he said.