RAWALPINDI: Even after two weeks, the police have failed to determine the cause of the death of a woman who had married a man of her choice against the will of her parents.

Noor Bibi, the mother of the deceased, alleged: “My daughter Farhat Bibi was murdered by her in-laws.”

Farhat Bibi fell in love with Mohammad Arif of Donge village where he owned a dry battery shop. The couple tied the knot three years ago but her parents never visited her saying she had ruined their honour. Mr Arif told the Jatli police that he was at his workplace when his father informed him on phone that his wife had fallen in the washroom and sustained head injuries.

He said he rushed home and found his wife injured. The injured was taken to a local private hospital from where she was referred to the Holy Family Hospital. However, on reaching the HFH, the woman was pronounced dead.

The police got a postmortem conducted on the body of the deceased in Gujar Khan. But the postmortem report did not explain the cause of the death.

Mother of deceased alleges her daughter was killed by her in-laws

“Apparently, there were neither torture marks on the body nor any other symptoms which could convince the police that the woman had been murdered. However, the police are still waiting for the chemical examiner’s report to determine the cause of the death,” said sub-inspector Mian Imran, who is leading the investigation into the incident.

He said the young woman had a medical history of tuberculosis which could be the cause of her fall, resulting in the fatal head injuries.

“Neither there was any torture mark on the body nor she had complained about her in-laws or husband,” the police official said, adding the couple had a happy marital life.

The mother of the deceased woman alleged in her complaint lodged with the Jatli police that her daughter was killed by her in-laws.

“Yes, the complaint has been received from the mother of the deceased but the police are waiting for the chemical examiner’s report to proceed further,” the investigating officer added.

Published in Dawn, July 9th , 2014