Police arrest suspect in killing of newly married couple in Karachi's Malir

KARACHI: Police have arrested the main suspect in the killing of a newly married couple who were shot dead in Karachi's Malir area, according to a statement issued on Tuesday by the Korangi police spokesperson.

The couple were killed on Monday when attackers opened fire on their car near the RCD ground in Saudabad, Malir. According to the police account, they were returning from court, where the woman had recorded her statement saying she had married of her own free will. The couple had also submitted their nikahnama in court.

The police spokesperson said Saudabad police launched an operation on the directives of Korangi Senior Superintendent of Police Fida Hussain Janwari and used technical tools and intelligence-based methods to trace the suspect.

In the statement, police said the arrested man was identified as Sajid, son of Aslam, and that he admitted during interrogation to firing on the couple. A case over the incident has been registered at Saudabad police station on the complaint of the deceased husband's brother.

Arrest made after raids

According to the spokesperson, police relied on technical evidence, CCTV footage and intelligence inputs before carrying out raids at multiple locations. The suspect was eventually arrested from house number A-6 in Ayub Goth, Gulshan-i-Iqbal, within the limits of Sachal police station.

Police further said that during questioning, the suspect disclosed that he had arranged the deceased woman's engagement to another man and had received Rs350,000 in return.

The spokesperson said raids were continuing to apprehend other suspects linked to the case and that the investigation was still under way. The statement, however, did not specify the exact motive for the killings or clarify the suspect's relationship with the slain couple.

In a statement issued after the attack, SSP Janwari had said the assailants had been identified as relatives of the deceased woman. He had also said that her relatives had filed a complaint about her disappearance at Sachal police station.