LOWER DIR: Police on Monday claimed to have arrested a key suspect in the alleged murder case of a 19-year-old woman in the Rabat area.

Police officials said the arrest of Gul Bahar came during a targeted operation in Nawagai village of Rabat area. They said the operation was led by SP (Investigation) Rashid Ahmad.

The officials said the detainee was being interrogated, while raids were being conducted to arrest other nominated men, including the woman’s uncle, Zor Zamin.

An FIR, registered at the Khall police station on June 26 under sections 302, 311 and 34 of the Pakistan Penal Code, said the young woman, a resident of Kharkai village, was allegedly shot dead by her close relatives. It added that her father worked in Dubai and that she had been living with her uncle following the death of her mother. Police nominated the woman’s uncle and his son, Gul Bahar, in the case.

Hundreds of political workers staged a joint protest in Rabat, demanding the immediate arrest of all suspects in the case.

The speakers, including Malik Mohammad Zeb of ANP, Shad Nawaz Khan of Jamaat-i-Islami, Alam Zeb of PPP, Miraj Bacha of PTI and Maulana Rahmanullah of JUI-F, termed the killing a heinous crime and warned the Chitral Road would be blocked if the remaining suspects were not arrested within 24 hours. The protesters also offered funeral prayers in absentia for the deceased.

During a separate news conference in Timergara, local political and social leaders alleged that the young woman had been killed by close relatives and buried without funeral prayers. They criticised police for delaying the arrest of all nominated suspects.

Human rights activists Akbar Khan, Ibrash Pasha and Malik Shah Nasim also called for a transparent investigation and exemplary punishment for culprits.

Meanwhile, participants of a multi-party conference held at the Timergara Rest House also condemned the incident and demanded the immediate arrest of the remaining suspects.

BODY RECOVERED: Rescue 1122 on Monday recovered the body of a tourist, who had drowned in the Kala Chashma area of the scenic Kumrat Valley after a three-day search operation.

Officials said water rescue teams from Lower Dir and Upper Dir continued the search despite strong currents and difficult conditions before recovering the body from the river. The body was later handed over to police for legal formalities.

The tourist was identified as Zainul Abideen of Mardan.

Meanwhile, a man was killed and nine people injured when a vehicle carrying tourists from Peshawar plunged into a deep ravine in the Tortum Khwar area of Upper Dir.

Police said the vehicle fell into a gorge while travelling through the mountainous region. Rescue 1122 personnel, police and civil defence volunteers rushed to the scene and shifted the injured to hospitals. Several of the injured, said to be in critical condition, were referred to Timergara and Peshawar for treatment.

Published in Dawn, June 30th, 2026