BAHAWALPUR, Feb 21: Police claim to have solved the mystery shrouding the murder of five family members on Friday last at Nazirabad Colony here and arrested three accused, including two nephews of the head of the family.

DPO Arif Nawaz told reporters on Monday that the arrested accused were identified as driver Shabbir Ahmed, Imran Javed (cousins) and their friend Muhammad Afzal, an electrician.

The DPO said that theft was the motive behind the gruesome murder of Mukhtar's wife and four children. He said the theft was planned some three or four days before the incident as Zubaida, Mukhtar's wife, was living alone in the house along with her children. He said Shabbir had to pay the instalment of his wagon, his cousin Javed wanted to open a PCO and Afzal wanted to purchase a shop.

The DPO said that Javed was the first to enter the house, who opened the door from inside for Afzal and Shabbir. They opened the briefcase when deceased Zubaida woke up. At this, Afzal stabbed her to death. Later, her children also woke up. The intruders strangled them and escaped without taking anything from the house.

The DPO said the confessional statement of the arrested accused was recorded by judicial and area magistrates on Monday. The accused also admitted before reporters that they had committed the offence.

Present on the occasion, Mukhtar Ahmed said that he was satisfied with the police investigation which led to the arrest of the killers. The DPO said that since the crime was heinous, the challans would be submitted to the anti-terrorist court for speedy trial and deterrent punishment to the accused.

Zubaida and her four children had been killed in their house on Feb 11. Police had formed two teams to arrest the killers. Accused Afzal, who had escaped next morning, was arrested from Karachi.