HYDERABAD, Nov 12: Two prosecution witnesses on Monday recorded their statements under Section 164 Criminal Procedure Code before the civil judge and judicial magistrate-VII in a case pertaining to the murder of Ishtiaq Sheikh and his wife Samia Detho — who had married of their freewill in November last year and were killed in August this year allegedly by the woman’s family members.

The witnesses, Mohammad Ali aka Jani Sheikh, and Rehmatullah Thebo, deposed said that Samia Detho had left Mori Mangar village, where she lived with her parents, within the remit of the Pabban police station, along with Ishtiaq Sheikh and later they come to know that they had married in Karachi.

They further stated that the Detho clansmen had attacked the house of Ismail Sheikh (brother of Ishtiaq Sheikh) and abducted his wife and mother.

According to Thebo, the two women got released after intervention of his uncle, Mr Moosa.

He said that the marriage of Naveed, brother of Samia Detho, was fixed for Aug 23. He stated he had come to know that Ishtiaq and Samia arrived in the village that day but he could not meet them and then the couple went missing.

Thebo, a resident of Mori Mangar, told the magistrate that Qasim Detho informed him about the murder of the couple when he came across him on Oct 25.

He quoted Qasim as telling him that the couple had been murdered on the night of Naveed’s wedding.

Mohammad Ali aka Jani Sheikh, maternal cousin of Ishtiaq Sheikh, deposed that Ishtiaq had called his uncle, Abdul Ghani, to inform him that he would be attending Naveed’s wedding on Aug 23.

They arrived in a white Suzuki pick-up driven by Sujawal Detho, he said, adding that Ishtiaq told him that Samia, Sualeh, Mushtaq, Ahmed, Qasim, Mushhaib, Arshad aka Fauji and Rab Nawaz Khaskheli accompanied them and were sitting in the vehicle.

Jani Sheikh further stated that Ishtiaq collected some amount of money he had sought from Mr Moosa and left, saying that he would be returning home next morning after attending the wedding.

“When they did not return home next morning, we started fearing that he may have been kidnapped or killed,” the witness said.

Mohammad Ismail, the complainant and brother of Ishtiaq, told Dawn that his request for recording of more witnesses’ statements under Section 164 Cr.PC was turned down by the magistrate.

He said he intended to file an application with the sessions judge in this regard.

Meanwhile, the Anti-Terrorism Court, Hyderabad, on Monday extended the pre-arrest bail granted to senior civil judge Mohammad Saleem Qambrani, one of the 22 accused in the case, till Nov 14.

The court also remanded the five arrested accused in judicial custody for seven days.

They are Samia’s father Ahmed Detho, his nephew Sikandar, Haji Detho, Bilawal Qambrani and Rahim.