SUKKUR: Armed men barged into the house of a newspaper hawker in Jacobabad and gunned him down along with his wife late on Wednesday night, officials at the Saddar police station said.

The attackers fled the scene leaving the couple’s children — three sons and a daughter — wailing over the horrible murder, they added.

The police quoted some residents of the neighbourhood as telling them that the assailants, before storming into the house, warned the area people not to intervene as it was a matter of karo-kari (a term used for extramarital affair).

The victims were identified as Faiz Mohammed Babbar Jamali, 35, and Umna Babbar Jamali.

A team of Madadgar 15 police rushed to the house and transported the victims to the Jacobabad Civil Hospital, where doctors declared Umna Jamali dead on arrival and admitted Faiz Jamali for treatment of multiple gunshot wounds. However, he died during treatment.

Jacobabad SSP Sarfaraz Nawaz Shaikh, who visited the crime scene, told local reporters that an FIR was yet to be registered. He said facts were being collected to reach a conclusion about a motive behind the attack.

He said initial investigation suggested that the attack was carried out by two armed men. A hunt for them was on, he added.

Published in Dawn, June 9th, 2017