Stepfather, mother arrested for murdering children

ISLAMABAD: Police said they had solved the murder case of two children, a brother and sister identified as Wasif and Fatima, and arrested their mother, stepfather and another suspect in connection with the killings.

According to a police spokesman, the suspects taken into custody are the children’s mother Nusrat Bibi, their stepfather Arshad and a third suspect, Naseer. The spokesman said investigators found that the two children had become upset with the suspects and had gone to live with their biological father.

Police said the suspects later convinced the children to return with them after assuring them they would not be harmed. Investigators subsequently concluded that the siblings were killed after returning with the suspects.

The spokesman said preliminary findings suggested the suspects had tried to hide the crime by making the deaths appear to be suicides in an effort to mislead law enforcement authorities and avoid punishment.