Arrest warrant issued again as victim’s brother yet to testify

A local court on Monday for a second time issued non-bailable arrest warrants (NBWs) against the Haleema murder case’ complainant - her brother - for failing to have his statement recorded in court.

The court fixed January 30 to hear the case again and ordered for the arrest and production of the deceased woman’s brother.

The court had already issued arrest warrants against the brother of the deceased previously, and this time ordered for the investigation officer (IO) to arrest the complainant and produce him in court to have his statement recorded.

In the previous hearing, the court was to hear the key accused of the murder, Rizwan’s, bail plea but had to adjourn the hearing owing to the Investigation Officer’s absence.

The accused was identified through the CCTV footage found from an Edhi Foundation’s shelter home, a few days later after he had handed over the murdered woman’s three-year-old son, Abdullah. He had told the shelter home’s officials that he had found the boy wandering at Sea View, Clifton.

As the investigation intensified, Rizwan was found to have known the woman and her son from before, and that he had also helped her rent out an apartment in Delhi Colony.

Initially confessing murdering Haleema, the accused had later changed his statement stating that he had been made to utter the confessional statements under duress. 

Rizwan’s wife, Sonia, also reported to be an accomplice has already acquired bail in the case.

The court had also allowed for hearing the child’s father’s, Chaudhry Iqbal, plea regarding the custody of his son Abdullah. He was allowed to meet with his son for a month so that the three-year-old could get familiar with the father; he had arrived from Khanewal where he lived after he heard of his wife’s murder.