Woman, three daughters found dead at home

HARIPUR: A woman and her three daughters were poisoned and strangled to death over an unknown reason in Qutba Dhak village, about 7km from here.

According to Khanpur Police, Sadaf Shafqat, 35, wife of Shafqat Zaman, was living with her three daughters named Iman Shehzadi, 9, Zainab Bibi, 5, and Zarqa Shehzadi, 7, with no male member for the last two years.

On Sunday morning, a milkman who used to supply milk daily to the family informed Sadaf’s brother Rafaqat, whose house was located next door.

The police said when Rafaqat entered the home, he found the bodies of Sadaf and her three daughters in separate rooms that were carrying ropes fastened to their necks, hands and feet while a couple of empty packs of juice, glasses and some presumably a small quantity of powdered poison littered around the glasses.

The police believed that the victims were first poisoned and later strangled with ropes.

The police shifted the bodies to Khanpur Tehsil Headquarters Hospital where the autopsies of four bodies were conducted.

However, the causes of death have yet to be determined as the postmortem report was incomplete, the police said.

The police said that the head of the family, Shafqat Zaman, was a declared absconder for the last two years as he has been facing criminal charges of committing money fraud with some people in the area.