KABUL, April 29: Police have arrested six people for killing an Afghan woman suspected of adultery, reportedly by stoning her to death in one of the first cases of its kind since the Taliban fell, an official said on Friday. The arrests were made on Wednesday after the interior ministry sent a delegation to a remote village in northeastern Badakhshan province to probe the incident which occurred on Friday, ministry spokesman Lutfullah Mashal said.

“Six people, including father of the victim and a local mullah and four others who were involved in the killing have been arrested,” Mr Mashal said.

He added that the men who encouraged the killing would be brought to the capital for trial later this week.

The provincial police chief said last week that he had received reports that the woman was stoned to death for adultery on the orders of the religious leader over suspicions she had cheated on her husband.

Mr Mashal said that according to initial reports by the delegation the woman was in fact beaten mercilessly by her relatives before being shot dead, but added that its investigations were ongoing.

The man who allegedly had relations with the victim — and who was also lashed by order of the religious leader — was among those arrested, Mr Mashal added.—AFP