Three accused, including two women, arrested over Multan 'dance video' massacre

MULTAN: The remaining three accused, including two women, in the 'dance video' massacre that had left nine people dead were arrested from here in the city, police said.

The three arrestees were identified as Ashmal, Anila, and Farhat, police said, adding that they were presented in an anti-terrorism court. The three were then sent into police custody for a four-day physical remand.

Ashmal and Anila are the brother and sister-in-law, respectively, of the primary suspect, Ajmal, while Farhat is his sister. All three were previously absconding.

Ajmal and his father, Zafar, had been arrested and their weapons recovered earlier on July 2 shortly after Ajmal killed his wife and eight others of her family before locking them up in a room and setting it on fire. Both have been in police custody for a nine-day physical remand.

The new arrests mark the detention of all of the accused in the Multan 'dance video' massacre.

Multan man who murdered nine says returned from Saudi to kill wife over 'dance video'

Multan man Ajmal who murdered nine, including wife, told court that he returned from Saudi Arabia to kill his wife over a 'dance video'

Had suspicions over wife's character

Ajmal, the primary accused, had said in his initial statement on July 3 that he returned from Saudi Arabia to kill his wife over a "dance video" he had received in the Kingdom.

He had explained to the anti-terrorism court that he had received a "dance video of his wife" from a party she reportedly went to while he was residing in Saudi Arabia. He had commented about the characters of his sisters-in-law, saying they were "women of bad character" and "wanted my wife to join them in their indecent acts".

After watching the said video, he had added, he was furious and could not control his anger, which is why he immediately returned to Pakistan and killed his wife.

Ajmal allegedly had suspicions over his wife's character, which is what led him to attack his in-laws' residence along with his two accomplices on Monday. His wife was his paternal uncle's daughter with whom he had three daughters and a son in total.

A first information report (FIR) over the incident was registered earlier in the New Multan police station on behalf of Ajmal's 24-year-old brother-in-law Ali Raza, who was wounded in the incident and was under treatment at a local hospital. It contained clauses of murder and terrorism.

Multan man kills, burns wife and eight others over suspicion of bad character

Multan man Ajmal shot his wife and eight others over suspicion of bad character before locking and burning them in a room

Ajmal had killed his wife and eight others of her family at at 1AM on July 2 in the Hasanabad Gate No. 1 area over honour and having suspicions about his wife's character.

He had entered his in-laws' residence along with his father, Zafar, and brother Ashmal and opened fire, police had said at the time.

Eight people, including two children, had died on the spot and three critically wounded when Ajmal opened fire but a 14-year-old child succumbed to his injuries later, bringing the total number of fatalities to nine, according to Nishtar Hospital.

Among the nine deceased were Ajmal's wife Kiran, daughter Maira, mother-in-law Tasleem, sisters-in-law Saima, Asma, and Roma, son Adil, niece Naima, and 14-year-old nephew Sayem.

Four relatives, including children, tried to save those who were set on fire by Ajmal but he had shot and wounded them.

Raza, the wounded brother of Ajmal's wife, Kiran, had demanded that Ajmal be immediately hanged to death in public.