A district court in Gujrat on Friday acquitted all those named in the murder of Pakistani-origin Italian citizen Sana Cheema.

The judge released the men, who were named as chief suspects in the case, on the basis of lack of proof and absence of witnesses.

Last year, Sana's death made headlines across the world after an Italian publication reported that she had been murdered for 'honour'. According to Italian media, Sana had wanted to marry a man from Brescia who, like her, was a second-generation immigrant with Italian citizenship.

An autopsy report revealed that she had been strangled to death and that the victim's voice box was swollen and the right cornua of her hyoid bone (in the neck) had been dislocated.

The forensic report had also suggested regurgitation after three pieces of green chilli were found in her sound box. PFSA did not find any signs of poison or drugs in Sana's body.

Her brother and father emerged as the chief suspects and police lodged a case against them under Sections 311 and 302 of the Pakistan Penal Code. Later, police said that her father had confessed that he had strangled her with a piece of cloth, while her brother admitted to overpowering her.

A police official privy to the investigation into the case, had told Dawn that Sana’s brother Adnan Cheema was distressed and regretted his act of helping his father in his sister’s murder.

However, the father, Ghulam Mustafa Cheema, had denied the police claim of his confession in a brief media interaction soon after the police made the claim.