Tribal chief who ordered Balochistan couple's brutal killing arrested as FIR lodged

Balochistan police have registered an FIR of the brutal killing of a man and a woman over so-called honour and arrested around a dozen suspects, including a tribal leader who allegedly gave orders for their shooting.

The police action came after a video of the couple being brutally shot went viral on social media, triggering widespread outrage over the brazen murders.

The case has been transferred to the Serious Crime Investigation Wing (SCIW) for further probe, according to the police.

SCIW SP Syed Saboor Agha said the tribal leader who is alleged to have ordered the killings has also been taken into custody.

Read: CM Bugti confirms arrest of 11 suspects in Balochistan couple’s murder 

The FIR was lodged by SHO Naveed Akhtar at the Hanna-Urak police station in Quetta. He said that he received a viral video clip showing the execution-style murder of the victims by armed men.

SHO Akhtar stated that he and his team traced the incident to the Sanjidi area in Dagari, on the outskirts of Quetta.

According to the FIR, the killings took place three days before Eidul Azha. The victims were identified as Bano Bibi and Ihsanullah, it added. Eight suspects, along with 15 unidentified accomplices, have been nominated for their direct involvement in the double murders.

Check: Ulema condemn Balochistan ‘honor killing’ as a ‘brutal and grave crime'

The couple was allegedly brought before a tribal elder who accused them of having an ‘illicit relationship’, a practice commonly referred to as Karo Kari, the FIR said, adding that he ordered their execution. They were subsequently taken to a remote area and shot dead.

The FIR said that the murder was filmed and uploaded to social media with the apparent intention of spreading fear among the public.

The case has been lodged under Sections 302 (murder), 147 (rioting), 148 (rioting with deadly weapons), and 149 (unlawful assembly) of the Pakistan Penal Code read with Anti-Terrorism Act, 1997.