Three family members found shot dead in Mardan house

MARDAN: Three members of a family, including a married couple, were shot dead inside their home in Sheikh Maltoon Town on Tuesday night, police said on Wednesday.

Police said the dead were identified as Arshad Jalal, 25, his wife Nusrat, 34, and Mustafa, 19. Abdul Majeed, a resident of the Ganji area, lodged the FIR and told police that Jalal was his son-in-law, while Nusrat and Mustafa were his daughter and son.

According to the FIR, Majeed said he and other relatives tried several times during the night to contact the three by phone but received no reply. He told police that after repeated unanswered calls, a friend of Jalal was asked to go to the house.

“After numerous unanswered calls, a friend of Jalal was asked to go to the house and check on them. When the man arrived at the residence, he found the main door open. Upon entering, he discovered the blood-soaked bodies of the three victims,” as per the FIR.

Police said they were investigating the triple murder from different angles to determine both the attackers and the motive. They also said two children of the slain couple, a three-year-old girl and a two-year-old boy, were initially reported missing from the house and it was believed the suspected killers had taken them away. However, police later said both children were found near Charsadda Chowk.