British woman is murdered by gunman ‘in suspected crime of passion’ in Pakistan where ‘two men had been trying to convince her to marry them’
- The woman, 26, identified as ‘Maya’ was reportedly shot in the head Monday
- Police have launched an investigation, and are looking for two suspects
- Officers were alerted to the killing by an unidentified caller, the police said
- They added that a phone, found near her body, has been taken for analysis
A British woman has been murdered by gunman at a rented home in Pakistan on Monday, it has been reported.
The 26-year-old woman, identified only as Maya, was found to have been shot in the head in Defence, Karachi after gunman are believed to have barged into her home.
Police have said they are looking for two suspects, with local reports suggesting two men were competing for the woman’s hand in marriage, raising the suspicion that the killing could be a crime of passion.
Maya had arrived in the country two months ago from the UK where her family are from, police superintendent Sayyed Ali told Dawn.com.
Mr Sayyed told reporters that Maya’s friend was living in an adjoining room in the upper part of the house, and that she was assisting police in their investigation.
The officer said that they had been alerted to the apparent murder by an unidentified caller, and that forensic experts have cordoned off the crime scene.
He added that the woman had been found lying in a pool of blood in her room. A mobile phone was found near her body.
‘We have seized the mobile phone for forensic analysis,’ Sayyed told the local outlet, adding that officers were attempting to find nearby CCTV footage.
The woman’s parents and other family members living abroad have been contacted, Mr Sayyed noted as well.
‘We are also after two suspects and will share further details at a later stage,’ the police said, adding that Maya’s friend had not shared detail that could help in their investigation.
Due to global Covid-19 travel restrictions preventing the family from travelling to Pakistan, the police are said to be trying to convince her parents to make any close relatives living in Lahore the complainant of the case, Dawn reported.
The murder case will be registered once someone applies to be the complainant, Mr Sayyed said.
He added that Maya’s body had been taken to a morgue for an autopsy.