RAWALPINDI: The scope of the investigation into the murder of a newlywed woman has been expanded, as the gravedigger, the secretary of the graveyard and relatives from both her family and her in-laws have been arrested.

Police have sought court orders for the exhumation of the deceased’s body to ascertain the cause of her death.

According to sources close to the investigation, as many as eight people, including the gravedigger, the graveyard secretary, the rickshaw driver who transported her body to the graveyard, her husband and family members including her brother, have been detained by police in connection with the case.

However, the police will charge them with murder and honour killing only in light of the postmortem report, which is expected after the exhumation of Ms Sidra’s body. The victim, 19, was married in February this year.

Seek court orders for exhumation of the deceased’s body to ascertain cause of death after making multiple arrests

Police initiated the investigation based on information that a woman had been murdered in the name of honour in Pirwadhai, following a jirga in which members of both families participated.

As the woman’s family and in-laws became aware that the police were secretly investigating the incident, the deceased’s husband registered an FIR with the police under Section 496A.

Police sources said that the FIR was registered by the husband on the same day the woman was allegedly killed by suffocation with a pillow. However, the actual cause of her death will be determined after the exhumation.

“The purpose of registering the FIR for the woman’s abduction was only to avoid a murder investigation,” said a source.

In the FIR, the complainant stated that he was a resident of Pirwadhai and worked as a salesman at a cloth store in Bara Market, Rawalpindi.

He said he married Sidra Gul, 19, on January 17, 2025, and that she had been living with him since then.

On July 11, he claimed, a quarrel broke out between them over a petty issue after he returned home from work. He said he ignored the matter and went to sleep.

He further stated that after he went to sleep, his wife disappeared from the house, taking jewellery, clothes, and Rs150,000 in cash, without informing anyone.

After her disappearance, he said he inquired with her parents and searched for her, but could not find any clue to her whereabouts.

Later, he claimed he received information from local residents that his wife had a relationship with a man, had eloped with him, and was later illegally married to him, despite already being married.

He stated in the FIR that when he spoke to her family, they did not inform him about the alleged paramour and also refused to return his wife.

According to sources, shocking revelations emerged after the police began their investigation. The suspects had even erased the grave markers to cover up evidence.

Police have arrested around eight individuals in connection with the woman’s death, including the gravedigger, the graveyard secretary and relatives from both families.

Published in Dawn, July 26th, 2025