GUJRAT: Wazirabad police suspects an honour-related issue behind the brutal murder of a youth who had gone missing three days ago and his mutilated, half burnt body was found in Rasul Nagar locality in Ahmed Nagar police precincts on Sunday.

A senior police official says the mobile phone of the victim was being unlocked for the call data and to know his location after being kidnapped.

A citizen, Rana Aslam, had lodged a complaint with Wazirabad police on Nov 26 that his 18-year-old son Rizwan Aslam had gone to a nearby village to drop his cousin on Nov 25, but did not return home.

On the complaint, the police registered a case against unidentified suspect(s) under section 365 of the Pakistan Penal Code (PPC).

The police launched a search operation in the area, finding the youth’s mobile phone and the motorbike from different locations.

On Nov 27 (Sunday), a passerby saw a half-burnt body lying in the forest along the spur of the river Chenab and reported the matter to the police. The police took the body in custody that was later identified as of the missing youth, Rizwan.

Police say the deceased’s throat was slit and the body had cuts on its different parts. They say the killers also attempted to burn the body.

The body was shifted to Wazirabad Tehsil Headquarters Hospital, where an autopsy was conducted.

A team of the Punjab Forensic Science Agency (PFSA) also collected evidence from the scene, besides the samples of the body, for analysis.

Wazirabad Deputy Superintendent of Police (DSP) Malik Aamir told Dawn that initial investigations point towards the possibility of an honour-related issue behind the murder as the victim was subjected to brutal torture.

Inspector Nadeem of Alipur Chattha police station is investigating the case.

The DSP said after recovery and identification of the body, section 302 of the PPC had also being inserted into the already registered kidnap case.

The deceased had done his matriculation a couple of years ago but could not continue studies.

Published in Dawn, November 29th, 2022