HYDERABAD: A man was arrested after he allegedly gunned down his two brothers-in-law at the sessions court here on Monday.

Cantonment police said that one pistol was seized from the suspect and another two from the car and a hi-roof vehicle found and impounded at the crime scene.

Deceased Jumma Khan and Nadeem Khan, sons of Qaimuddin Malik were the residents of Khurshid Town while the suspect, Zaheer lived in the Ghumanabad area. Both sides had lodged criminal cases against one another at the Baldia police station after the suspect’s wife, Sofia Zaheer, was allegedly beaten by him and on her complaint, her brothers had allegedly been humiliating him.

“The deceased victims were cousins of the suspect,” police said.

“Zaheer is a simple man. He was humiliated on more than one occasion by his brothers-in-law,” said a Baldia police source. He said Jumma Khan had even beaten up Zaheer and taken away her households items from the couple’s house claiming that he had already divorced Sofia. Later, Zaheer, said to be the driver of a private hospital owner, lodged a theft case against Jumma and Nadeem. Subsequently, Jumma got Zaheer booked through a court order for subjecting their sister to violence. “He [Jumma] also resorted to firing outside Zaheer’s house, a Baldia police official said.

According to the police, Zaheer had come to the session courts on Monday to obtain his pre-arrest bail and Jumma and Nadeem were also present there for the hearing of the alleged theft case in a civil court. “Zaheer gunned down his brothers-in-law fearing that they might kill him if he did not attack them first,” said a Cantonment police station official. “Jumma, along with some other suspects, faces a land-grabbing case registered at the Hatri police station,” he said.

Police said that several FIRs were being registered in connection with the whole episode.

The victims’ bodies were, meanwhile, taken to the Liaquat University Hospital’s city branch for a post-mortem examination befor they where handed over to the heirs.

Published in Dawn, August 30th, 2016