PESHAWAR: The station house officer of the Michni Gate police station here and four other cops have been suspended after a suspect arrested on murder charge allegedly committed suicide inside the police station’s lock-up on Monday.

The incident sparked protest from the family members of the deceased as they placed the body on the Warsak Road in Pir Bala area of the city, accusing the police of murdering him. The protesters also chanted slogans against the police. The police said that the suspect, identified as Ziaur Rehman, a resident of Shagai Hindkian area on the outskirts of the provincial capital, was taken into custody some days ago on charges of murdering his wife in June.

On Monday, the suspect, the police claimed tore a pillow cover and hanged him with it in the lock-up.

The police shifted the body to the Khyber Medical College for autopsy. Afterwards it was handed over to the family.

The family members of the deceased later took the body to the Warsak Road and staged a demonstration there.

Following the incident, SHO Michni Gate Kamran Marwat and four other personnel were suspended for negligence. An inquiry has also been ordered into the incident.

On the other hand, Gohar Ali, father of the deceased, accused the police personnel of murdering his son inside the lock-up.

Talking to reporters during the protest, Mr Ali said that the SHO Michni Gate had detained his son from Islamabad, and that they kept looking for him for five days in different police stations. He accused the SHO of taking Rs1 million from their rivals and murdering his son in the police lock-up.

“The SHO even asked me for Rs100,000 bribe, but I refused,” he said.

Gohar Ali said his daughter-in-law had committed suicide and was not murdered. The protesters also demanded registration of FIR against the SHO. The police officials assured the family of lodging FIR against the SHO and transparent investigation into the case.

It is to mention here that wife of the deceased had died in June this year, and Ziaur Rehman had told the Michni Gate police station officials that his wife had committed suicide by hanging when he was out of home for work.

He had told the police officials that when he returned home from work, large number of women were gathered in his house and they told him that his wife had ended her life by hanging. He had told the police that he had married his wife three months ago.

However, on Aug 8, parents of the deceased women lodged cases against their son-in-law and his parents for the murder of the woman. The police had registered FIR under section 302 and 34 of the Pakistan Penal Code.

Another police official claimed that a brother of the deceased man had died in an accident on the day of his (Ziaur Rehman) wedding, and afterwards the family made the life hell for the woman accusing her of brining bad luck to them.

“Three months later they killed her and covered it up as suicide,” the official said.

Published in Dawn, August 16th, 2022