LAHORE: A married woman was allegedly raped and strangled at her sister’s home in the Shahdara area here on Monday.

Initially, there were conflicting reports that the 22-year-old woman had committed suicide by hanging herself from a ceiling fan. However, the investigation carried out by the police claimed she was raped and killed by unidentified men.

A police official said an emergency call of the woman’s suicide was received and a team, along with forensic experts, reached the site. Police found the body of the woman hanging from the ceiling fan but the circumstantial evidence suggested that she had offered strong resistance before being killed.

According to initial reports, he said, she was allegedly raped by the unidentified men who later strangled her and hanged her body from the ceiling fan to make it appear as a suicide.

The police official said Sumera had contracted a second marriage with one Abdul Rehman. She had come to her sister’s home on Monday where the incident took place, he said and added that the deceased was alone at home at the time of the incident.

The forensic experts collected samples from the crime scene and sent them for analysis.

Police are also trying to get help from the CCTV footage from the street. The body has been shifted to the morgue for autopsy for confirmation of rape and murder allegations.

Published in Dawn, September 21st, 2021