RAWALPINDI: Police have arrested six family members of a Pakistan Air Force (PAF) employee who was found dead in house earlier this month.

Although his death was earlier portrayed as a suicide, the police during investigation arrested his wife, son-in-law and four other relatives for their alleged involvement in his murder.

Ahsanullah, a PAF airman, was found dead at his rented house in Lalazar on Jan 11.

Mohammad Amanullah Khan, the younger brother of the deceased and a resident of Mianwali, in his FIR lodged with the Civil Lines police stated that Ahsanullah married a 52-year-old woman Fakhra Almas.

He said it was Ms Almas’ third marriage with his brother and she had already four daughters and a son. He said his brother lived in a rented house at Lalazar and was not happy over the marriage of one of his stepdaughters.

He said on Jan 11, he received a phone call that his brother had been shot and killed. On receiving the phone call, he along with his father and other relatives arrived in Rawalpindi, and his brother’s wife claimed that Ahsanullah had committed suicide.

But he suspected that his brother’s wife, her daughters and a son-in-law had killed him.

On his complaint, a police team led by ASP Beenish Fatima and assisted by police and Homicide Investigation Unit officials was formed to ascertain the circumstances in which the PAF airman was killed.

Superintendent of Police (SP) Syed Ali said after the suspects were interrogated, they confessed to killing Ahsanullah.

“Evidence available from the scene of crime could not convince the police that it was a suicide case.

There were visible signs of brawl and resistance offered by the deceased before being killed,” said the SP, adding the deceased was shot in the head from behind which also strengthened the police suspicion that it was a murder.

The SP said Ahsanullah’s wife had given her husband’s pistol to her daughter and a son-in-law to kill him.

He said six suspects – the deceased’s wife, four stepdaughters and a son-in-law – had been arrested.

They confessed to having a quarrel with Ahsanullah who used to ask his wife not to visit her daughter’s house. The arrested people were produced before court for their physical remand.

Published in Dawn, January 27th, 2020