A 25-year-old British woman of Pakistani origin named Mayra Zulfiqar (25 Years) was strangled and shot dead in Pakistan as she reportedly turned down marriage proposals from two men. Police said the woman, Mayra Zulfiqar, was found dead at her rented accommodation in Lahore’s Defence Housing Authority on Monday.
Lahore’s Police Assistant Superintendent Sidra khan told news agency PTI that Mayra Zulfiqar had arrived from Belgium nearly three months ago. She was sharing her rented house with her friend Iqra.
As per the police investigation, Mayra Zulfiqar’s friend Saad Ameer Butt appears to be the prime suspect in the murder case.
“Butt wanted to marry her as he was keen to get foreign nationality through this marriage. Upon her refusal, he allegedly shot her dead,” Police Assistant Superintendent Sidra Khan was quoted as saying by PTI.
Mayra Zulfiqar’s parents, who are in the UK, have been informed about the incident.
Meanwhile, Mayra Zulfiqar’s uncle Muhammad Nazir, who is in Lahore, has filed a police complaint and said she visited his home a day before her murder.
According to Nazir, she had told him that her two male friends — Asad Ameer Butt and Zahid Jadoon — wanted to marry her and upon her refusal, they threatened her with “dire consequences”.
Based on his complaint, the police have registered an FIR against the duo.
Media reports suggest that Mayra Zulfiqar’s initial post-mortem report indicates she received two bullets injuries — one on her neck and another on her arm. Some bruises were also found on her right hand and left foot.
In a report about Mayra Zulfiqar’s murder, the BBC said she had moved to Pakistan from the UK recently. She was a law graduate from the Middlesex University.
The report said police are yet to make any arrests in the case.
“The chief investigating officer in the murder inquiry told the BBC that police teams were targeting addresses in Islamabad and Lahore but that no arrests had yet been made,” the report said.
It added that a forensic team has visited Mayra’s house and cordoned off the scene.
Police are also searching for two other suspects in the case. They are also analysing her phone and examining CCTV footages.
Some reports suggest Mayra Zulfiqar had returned to Pakistan to attend a wedding and had decided to stay back for some time.
Reacting to the murder case, the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office in a statement said, “We are supporting the family of a British woman who died in Pakistan and are urgently seeking more information from the local authorities. Our thoughts are with the family at this difficult time.”
