Lahore woman accused of killing three children sent on five-day physical remand

LAHORE: A woman accused of killing her three children in Lahore was remanded to police custody for five days on Friday after being produced before a judicial magistrate.

The case relates to the deaths of three children who were found slain a day earlier at their home near Shah Jamal Colony. Police had said on Thursday that the children were allegedly killed by their mother amid estrangement from her husband.

According to the proceedings in court, the investigating officer presented the suspect before Judicial Magistrate Irshad Hussain and requested a 14-day physical remand. The officer told the court that further steps in the investigation were required, including recovery of evidence linked to the killings. He also said the accused’s DNA, polygraph and other medical examinations had yet to be carried out.

The magistrate, however, approved a five-day physical remand instead of the 14 days sought by the police.

Police account of the case

Initial reports on Thursday said the three children were found in a room of a multi-storey residential building near Shah Jamal in Lahore, and that their throats had been slit.

Later that day, Deputy Inspector General (Operations) Faisal Kamran said the children were allegedly killed by their mother following a domestic dispute with her husband. Speaking to Dawn, he said the woman had confessed to the crime and told investigators that her relationship with her husband had deteriorated over the past few months. She claimed that he used to force her to develop relations with other men.

According to the DIG, the woman further told police during interrogation that she had intended to die by suicide, but gave up that plan because she feared her husband might throw the children out of the house and leave them dependent on others.

The latest development came a day after police said they had traced the suspected motive behind the killings to a domestic dispute. Friday’s court hearing focused on the investigation process, with police seeking custody to collect evidence and complete forensic and medical procedures.

The judicial remand order means the accused will remain in police custody for five days while investigators continue their inquiry into the deaths of the three children.

No additional details were provided in the court proceedings beyond the police request for custody, the need for evidence recovery, and the planned DNA, polygraph and medical tests.