Multan police arrested the husband of Sania Zehra on Saturday, following a second case registered against him in connection with the death of the 20-year-old mother of two, who was found hanging in her bedroom last week.
Sania Zehra was discovered dead on July 9, hanging from a ceiling fan. Her father alleged that her death was not a suicide but an intentional murder disguised by her in-laws. He insisted that the crime scene indicated foul play.
An initial First Information Report (FIR) was filed at New Multan police station under Sections 148 (rioting armed with a deadly weapon), 149 (unlawful assembly), and 302 (intentional murder) of the Pakistan Penal Code (PPC) based on the father’s complaint.
Following a court order, Zehra’s body was exhumed on July 13 for post-mortem examination. The autopsy report indicated that the ligature mark on her neck was consistent with hanging, with asphyxia identified as the cause of death.
According to media reports , police spokesperson Fayyaz Ahmed confirmed that the suspect had been arrested in a separate case filed on the victim’s father’s complaint. Although the suspect had previously secured bail and was released in the first FIR, he was rearrested following a media briefing at the press club.
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The second FIR, a copy of which was obtained by Dawn.com, includes charges under PPC Sections 468 (forgery), 420 (cheating and dishonesty), 471 (using a forged document as genuine), 494 (marrying again during the lifetime of a spouse), and 495 (concealment of former marriage). It alleges that the suspect falsely claimed to be single on the marriage certificate while already married with two daughters.
The FIR also states that the suspect’s family concealed his prior marriage from the complainant, Zehra’s father, and suggests that the suspect married Zehra to claim her property.
Before his arrest, the husband spoke to the media at the press club, asserting that his wife had committed suicide and denying any intent to claim her property. He alleged that his in-laws were blackmailing him with one-sided accusations and mentioned that both of his wives had been living together for the past year. He also criticized the police’s investigation methods, claiming that officers had trashed his sister’s house.
