RAWALPINDI: A couple, their young daughter and niece were found murdered, with gunshot wounds to their heads, at their house in Dhoke Paharian on Adiala Road on Monday.

The couple, 45-year old Sher Afzal and his wife, 35-year-old Aasia Bibi lived in a rented house with their five children. Sher Afzal dealt in property and old cars. Their 16-year old niece, Eiza was visiting and staying with them.

According to the police, there were no signs of resistance from the victims.

“Some tablets and a bottle of some chemical were found nearby which suggests the victims were drugged before being killed sometime early in the morning,” SP Ghias Gul told Dawn.

He said that a gun belonging to Sher Afzal was also found by the bodies.

“Placing the gun by the bodies seems like an attempt to make the murders look like suicide. But it is clear that this is a case of multiple murders,” he said.

One of the couple’s children, 13-year-old Hajira said the family was sleeping in the same room and that she had found her parents, sister and cousin dead when she woke up in the morning around 9am.

SP Ghias said Hajira had then run out of the house to see another one of her sisters getting on their father’s motorcycle with a man she had wanted to marry for some time.

The SP said the couple’s elder daughter was missing since and seems to have eloped with a man of whom the family had not approved of.

The young man had visited Sher Afzal’s house sometime on Friday and had fought with the couple over marrying their daughter, the SP said, and that he had left after threatening them.

A raid had been conducted at the man’s house, who has since been declared missing, the SP said, adding that his parents and other relatives are being interrogated.

Sher Afzal used to live in Dhoke Lalyal and had moved after his daughter had developed a relationship with a young man, who continued to visit her at her new address.

The SP said it was interesting that none of the surviving children had heard the gunshots in their sleep.

The bodies were moved to the District Headquarters Hospital.

Published in Dawn, July 5th, 2016