RAWALPINDI: A 29-year-old man has confessed to killing his former wife, a United States citizen of Pakistani origin, and burying her body in Lakki Marwat, revealed Rawalpindi City Police Officer (CPO) Sajid Kiani.
Addressing a press conference in Rawalpindi, the police chief said the body of Wajiha Farooq Swati, who went missing from Rawalpindi in October, has been found. “The case is under investigation and we cannot divulge too many details at this point,” he added.
Rawalpindi CPO further said suspect Rizwan Habib Bangash had murdered his ex-wife after kidnapping her and shifted the corpse to Lakki Marwat where he buried it in a room of his servant’s house in the Peezo area.
He went on to say that three people — Habib, his father and one other suspect — have been arrested in connection with the case. The CPO said that Wajiha’s body was found from Lakki Marwat on the basis of information provided by the killer himself.
Sharing motive for the murder, the CPO said it emerged that she had been demanding back her property worth millions of rupees, which she had transferred in the name of Rizwan before their divorce.
“Since the man killed the woman in Rawalpindi, the body will be brought to District Headquarters Hospital for a post-mortem examination after which it will be handed over to her heirs for burial,” CPO Kiani added.
The CPO said police investigators visited several cities to collect evidence and grill suspects during the course of investigation. “Police used latest technology and human intelligence to solve the high-profile murder case,” he said.
He urged the media to refrain from relying on ‘unverified’ information about the case as investigation was still under way. The police would soon arrest other suspects in the case, he claimed. “We will share all details with the media once the investigations are completed,” CPO Kiani added.
The body of the Pakistani American was exhumed from the Wargher locality of Darra Peezu town in Lakki Marwat district on Saturday.
Shaheed Haibat Ali Khan police SHO Amir Khan said the body had been buried in a room of the house, owned by Sultan, son of Saeed. He said the house owner was the servant of the suspected killer. He said the police had to dig the concrete floor to disinter the body.
