Slain HBFC official’s daughter-in-law lays blame on family

The murder of the regional head of the House Building Finance Company (HBFC) on Friday evening has taken an interesting turn after the victim’s daughter-in-law told the police that her father and brother were to blame for the incident.

Fazal Muhammad Dehari, 45, was gunned down on the Karsaz bridge. In her statement to the police, the victim’s daughter-in-law Nausheen said: “My father and my brother are involved in the killing, as I married the victim’s son on March 13 against the wishes of my family.”

She said her family had been frequently threatening her in-laws, adding that she had also approached the court over the issue. Belonging to a feudal family of Nawabshah, her family lived in Karachi’s upmarket Defence Housing Authority neighbourhood.

Police said Nausheen was friends with the victim’s son since her school days. “They also studied at the same college,” Sharea Faisal DSP Zahid Hussain told The News. “The two had wanted to get married, but the woman’s family was against it.”

The officer said Dehari helped the two get married, even though the woman’s family was against the idea. “There were two issues: Karo-Kari and facilitating the couple,” added Hussain. “One issue they [the woman’s family] resolved by killing the supposed facilitator.”

The DSP said the police had recorded the statement of the victim’s family, including Nausheen, who accused her family members, particularly her father Dildar and brother Siraj, adding that the victim’s family had asked the police to register a case after consulting with the elders and the funeral.

“The victim’s family told us that they [the woman’s family] had made the decision to kill him in a Jirga, and it is yet to be ascertained who are the other suspects in the case,” he said.

“It has been confirmed that the woman’s father and brother are involved, but

it is yet to be confirmed either they had killed the man themselves or sent someone to do it.”

The officer said the victim’s body was sent to his hometown Pano Aqil for the funeral, adding that his family will file a police complaint after the burial.

On Friday evening the police had found a man critically wounded in a car after receiving information of a firing incident.

He was rushed to the Jinnah Postgraduate Medical Centre, where he was pronounced dead on arrival.

During the initial investigation it was found that the man was the HBFC’s regional head for South and his office was located at Civic Centre.

He was shot at least six times with two different pistols. He was a resident of the Boat Basin area. He was heading towards his house when some suspects had opened fire on him. He suffered four bullets to the torso.