SUKKUR: A teenage girl, who had eloped with her lover a week ago to contract free-will marriage in court and was later forced to return to her family by the area’s influential persons, was found dead in Mirpur Mathelo town, Ghotki district, the other day.

Sources said that Sughran, daughter of Anwar Ali Mahar, had eloped with Jamshed Shaikh. Soon afterwards, three women relatives of Jamshed were kidnapped in retaliation for the eloping girl, which brought the man’s family to its knees and it readily accepted the influential persons’ offer to return the girl in exchange for the abducted women, said the sources.

Barely a few days after her return, the girl was found dead lying along a saline water drain near Khanpur Mahar late on Wednesday night, said the sources.

SHO Qabil Bhayo said that police had had arrested four suspects in the area where the body was dumped.

Published in Dawn, April 20th, 2024