Killing of Canadian woman: Senior journalist taken into custody

ISLAMABAD: The Islamabad Police took into custody noted journalist Ayaz Amir Saturday after obtaining arrest warrants for him and his former wife in a case pertaining to the murder of their daughter-in-law, who was a Canadian national.

Amir was taken to the Shahzad Town police station where in the report registered following the murder, an additional clause Section 109 (punishment for abetment) of the Pakistan Penal Code was added at the request of Sara’s uncles — Colonel (retd) Ikram and Ziaur Rahim — who have blamed Amir and his former wife for their niece’s murder.

Sarah Inam was allegedly killed by Amir’s son, Shahnawaz, at home after a row over a “family issue” Friday.

Shahnawaz was remanded into police custody for two days.

According to policesources, the suspect had not told Sara about two other marriages and used to demand money from her as he was a drug addict. The sources also said that Shahnawaz fraudulently registered in his name a car Sara had recently bought. His wife demanded her money and car back after she got to know about Shahnawaz’s move, which escalated into a fight during which the suspect murdered his wife, the sources said.

The sources said that the victim had not told her parents about her marriage to Shahnawaz. Sara came to Pakistan three months ago and got married to the suspect in Chakwal after getting in touch with him through social media.

Their marriage has not been registered in Pakistan, said the sources, adding that Sara had agreed to marry Shahnawaz because he was the son of a senior journalist.

The police had registered the FIR on the complaint of SHO Nawazish Ali Khan Friday under Section 302 (punishment for murder) of the Pakistan Penal Code (PPC).

According to the FIR, the suspect’s mother, Samina Shah, called the police Friday (Sept 23) to inform them that her son, Shahnawaz, had killed his wife with a dumbbell. Shah told the police that her son was in the house and had hidden the body of his wife. Following this, the police raided the house.

In the complaint, the police said that Shahnawaz had locked himself inside his room and when the personnel forced their entry, there were blood stains on his hands and clothes.

Once the police got hold of Shahnawaz, he, according to the FIR, confessed to hitting his wife repeatedly with a dumbbell during an argument and hiding her body in the bathtub.

The “murder weapon” was hidden under his bed. The police, after examining the dumbbell, reportedly found blood and hair on it. They later sent it for forensics.

The victim’s body was sent to the Polyclinic Hospital for autopsy.