Three brothers arrested for murdering their sister who was accused of having an affair
NEW DELHI (TrustLaw) - Three brothers in eastern Pakistan have been arrested for murdering their sister for having an affair and bringing shame on the family in a case of "honour killing", the Express Tribune reported on Wednesday.
According to police officials in Pakistan's Punjab province, the brothers tortured and then decapitated their sister with an axe, before burying her body in their courtyard under slabs of marble.
"He (the servant) told us that he had been forced to help them dig the grave and then cover the courtyard with marble,” investigating officer Hazoor Buksh was quoted as saying.
"We broke apart the marble in their courtyard and found the corpse. The woman had been mutilated and the body had been decapitated," he added.
According to the report, the three brothers, from a village near the city of Bahawalpur, had accused their sister of having an affair with a man in the village and blamed her for dishonouring the family.
"Honour killings" - when a person is murdered by a family member out of belief that the victim has brought shame on the family, clan or community - are common in parts of South Asia, such as Pakistan, Afghanistan and some regions of India.
The United Nations Population Fund estimates that 5,000 women are victims of "honour killings" every year.
Our Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.
