KARACHI: A woman and her sister-in-law were found murdered in their Orangi Town residence on Monday, police said.

Sadaf, 35, and her husband’s sister, Sumbal, 30, were found dead with their throats slit in the morning.

SSP-Investigation Akhtar Farooq told Dawn that the police took into custody 18-year-old Faheema, sister of Sumbal, and her friend, Anees Akhtar, 19.

He said that the two women were killed since they were against the friendship between the girl and the boy.

He said both the suspects first intoxicated the two women and then slit their throats with a knife.

The police also claimed to have recovered the murder weapon.

The SSP said that a case (FIR 298/2016) was registered against the suspects on the complaint of Muhammad Shaheen, victim Sadaf’s husband, under Section 302 (premeditated murder), 311 (Ta’zir after waiver or compounding of right of qisas in premeditated murder)and 34 (common intention) of the Pakistan Penal Code read with Section 7 of the Anti-Terrorism Act of 1997.

He told Dawn that the police invoked the antiterrorism law against the held suspects since the brutal act had triggered a sense of insecurity and terrorised the people living in the area.

Besides, the SSP said that the antiterrorism law was also invoked so that the suspects’ relatives could not pardon them on a later stage during the trial.

Quoting statements of both the suspects, the SSP said that the girl and the boy knew each other for the past six years. However, they became romantically involved after the death of the girl’s mother some two years ago.

About the incident, the SSP said that the girl told the police that Anees barged into her house at about 3am, woke her up and asked her to pack her belonging and ready to leave along with him.

On the other hand, the male suspect told the police that the girl called him over the phone asking him to come visit her as she gave sedative drugs to her family members.

However, Pakistan Bazaar SHO Imtiaz Mirjat said that the police arrested the girl in her home and the boy was taken into custody from his neighbours’ house.

He said that both the suspects were giving “contradictory” statements and the police were interrogating them.

Published in Dawn September 6th, 2016