RAWALPINDI, May 5: A retired brigadier committed suicide by shooting himself at his residence in Chaklala Housing Scheme III on Sunday evening, police said.

Sultan Mehmood, 78, was found dead after his daughter-in-law went to his room to wake him up for Magrib prayers.

Police, while quoting Ms Shahida Sultan (the wife of the deceased) said there had been nothing unusual when her husband woke up in the morning and went to the nearby markets.

She said before going to the market, her husband had been busy playing with the grandchildren and had not expressed any worry at the time.

Though the brigadier’s wife had heard the gunshots, she had mistaken them for pots falling in the kitchen.

The body was found when the brigadier’s daughter-in-law went to wake him up for prayers, as the prayer time was passing and he had not responded.

Police were called to the scene which recovered a pistol lying near the dead body.

Police said during preliminary investigation it seemed to be a suicide but the motive behind it was yet to be known.

The dead body of the victim was removed to the District Headquarters Hospital for postmortem.