MULTAN, Jan 5: Khanewal police could not arrest till Wednesday any of the nominated accused involved in the killing of five people, including an infant.

The police have arrested four people, but none of them is nominated in the case lodged with the Kuhna police station.

Munawwar Mai, her husband Mukhtar Ahmed, one-and-half-year old son Mohsin, mother-in-law Hafeeza Bibi and brother-in-law Manzoor Ahmed were shot dead allegedly by Mai's four brothers and their as many aides when they were asleep in a house at Chak 20, Venoi village.

In the FIR lodged with the police, Mukhtar's father Nazeer Ahmed said that he was asleep in his cattle pen just outside their house when eight assailants, including four brothers of his daughter-in-law, Zahoor, Ijaz, Mumtaz and Ishfaq overpowered him and then tied him with a cot.

Later on, they barged into the house and opened fire, killing all the five. The assailants, however, did not attack deceased Manzoor's wife Kulsoom and his two daughters, who were also asleep.

Nazeer told police that Munawwar Mai had left his parents three years ago to marry her cousin Mukhtar. At this, Munawwar's brother Zahoor had lodged a case against Mukhtar, his mother and a brother for seducing her besides that her nikah with one Shahzad had been solemnized and only her 'rukhsati' was to be performed.

Police had challaned Mukhtar and Munawwar while his mother and brother were acquitted of the abduction charge in the investigation. After securing bail in the case, Munawwar Mai moved a civil court in Multan to invalidate her nikah with Shahzad. The court disposed of the matter in her favour.

Afterwards, she contracted marriage Mukhtar in 2002 and started living in hiding. In August 2004, a court in Khanewal acquitted both of abduction. At this, the couple gave up living at unknown places and joined Mukhtar's family in Chak Venoi where they along with two others were killed. Khanewal DPO Dr Jameel Ahmed constituted three investigation teams under the supervision of DSP (Sadar) Aftab Ahmed to arrest the accused.

When contacted, DSP Aftab refused to give names of the arrested. He, however, confirmed that none of Mai's brother had so far been held. He said houses of the nominated accused were found locked when the police raided there. Meanwhile, all the five deceased were laid to rest on Wednesday after the post mortem examination.