SUKKUR: A journalist was shot dead apparently in the name of honour in Dodapur town of Garhi Khero taluka in Jacobabad district on Tuesday.

Some armed men broke into the house of a widow while Zulfiqar Ali Mandrani, reporter of Sindhi daily Koshish, was visiting her. They fired on him, leaving him seriously wounded.

Mr Mandrani, who was also serving as a primary school teacher, sustained bullet wounds in his head, the area police said, adding that the assailants fled after committing the crime.

Residents of the neighbourhood said that Mr Mandrani kept bleeding until some of his relatives rushed to the woman’s house after receiving information about the incident. They took him to the Chandka Medical College Hospital in Larkana where he died during treatment.

A large number of people, including journalists, visited the hospital to inquire about Mr Mandrani’s health. They expressed shock and grief after being informed about his death.

Meanwhile, police picked up suspects, Riaz Dayo and Nazeer Dayo, for interrogation.

The police claimed that Riaz confessed to have shot dead Mr Mandrani “for maintaining an extramarital affair with the woman who belonged to his community”.

The crime weapon, a TT pistol, has been seized from the arrested suspects, the police said.

The body of Mr Mandrani was handed over to his heirs after a post-mortem examination. Later, he was laid to rest in a graveyard of his native Mohammad Sualeh Mandrani village.

Senior Superintendent of Police of Jacobabad Bashir Ahmed Brohi told local reporters that it seemed to be a clear case of honour killing. However, he added, an investigation into the incident from other angles was also being conducted.

Till our going to press a first information report of the incident was not registered at the Doudapur police station.

Published in Dawn, May 27th, 2020