GUJRAT, Nov 13 The district police claim having solved mystery of three murders in a family, with a woman confessing to killing her husband and two sons to maintain illicit relations with another man.

District Police Officer Tariq Abbas Qureshi told a press conference on Friday that the police had arrested Fauzia Sultana who had confessed to killing her husband and two sons, one of them Shahzad Tariq (stepson), a factory owner.

He said Fauzia contracted her third marriage with Tariq Mahmood, a businessman of Tariqabad some six years ago. Tariq already had two sons, Shahzad and Waqas.

During interrogation, he said, Fauzia told the police that Tariq Mahmood was a good husband, who took her to perform Haj after their marriage but she had relations with Mehr Asif for the last 22 years. She said she would steal cash and jewellery for Asif.

She said she poisoned Tariq when her stepsons were out of the town on a business tour, and spread the news of her husband's death due to a cardiac arrest.

As Shahzad developed differences with his stepmother, the latter felt no remorse in killing him (on Aug 7 last) at his doorstep, the DPO said.

Later, she got registered an FIR No 690 with the Civil Lines police against unidentified people, he said, adding that Shahzad's murder led to the arrest of the woman.

Fauzia said she killed her stepson with the help of Mehr Asif because he (Shahzad) would often beat her up after the death of his father.

The DPO said the police were alerted by the relatives and neighbours of Shahzad Tariq after the murder of Tariq Mahmood.

Fauzia had married Basharat two decades ago and mothered a son, Ali Raza, but sought divorce after eight years. She said she killed her eight-year-old son by administering him poison after Basharat demanded the child's custody.

Later, she said, she married Nasrullah of Bhangranwali village two years after her divorce. The marriage, however, ended as Fauzia could not bear a child. It was after that she contracted third marriage.

The DPO said the police would issue Red Warrants for Mehr Asif and announced cash award for the investigation team.