Suspect in Bahawalpur wife’s axe murder killed in ‘encounter’

A man accused of killing his wife with an axe in Yazman was killed in an alleged police encounter, the Counter-Crime Department (CCD) said.

The victim, Zeenat Bibi, 27, was a mother of two young girls. Police said her husband, Muhammad Irshad, son of Muhammad Nawaz, attacked her with an axe during a quarrel at home. Initial reports said he suspected her of a relationship with another man.

Her mother was at home at the time and saw the killing. Police and rescue teams reached the scene and shifted the body to the hospital for a post-mortem. A case was registered on the complaint of the victim’s mother on November 1.

According to the CCD, Irshad escaped from police custody after the case was registered.

On the night between November 4 and 5, a CCD Circle Yazman team was searching for him and set up a checkpoint at Chak 99 DB Mor. Two suspicious men on a motorcycle allegedly opened fire on the police party on seeing it, police said.

During the exchange of fire, the suspects’ motorcycle skidded and fell. The two men continued firing from behind sand dunes, according to the CCD.

When the firing stopped, one suspect had fled. Irshad was found critically wounded and died later.

The CCD said Irshad was killed by his accomplice’s fire. Police recovered a .30-bore pistol, two live rounds and ten spent casings from the scene. The items have been sent for forensic analysis.

A case has been registered against the unidentified accomplice, and a search for him is underway.