Police nab three, including domestic help, over elderly woman's murder in Lahore's DHA

LAHORE: Police on Thursday booked and arrested three individuals, including a domestic help and a woman, for allegedly strangling an elderly woman to death in the provincial capital's Defence Housing Authority (DHA) area.

Police confirmed that they arrested a man identified as Hassan — the deceased's domestic help — as well as his wife Iqra and a relative called Ashiq. The suspects, they added, were accused of beating the 70-year-old Shahida on her head with sticks and then strangling her to death.

The three suspects had fled the elderly woman's home with Rs15 million worth of saving certificates and gold jewellery, police said, adding that they were yet to recover the looted items.

The couple had reportedly started working as domestic help at Shahida's home around 12 days ago. They allegedly planned the robbery after realising she lived alone and had their relative, Ashiq, join their planned crime.

Earlier on Monday, police had said they had recovered the body of an elderly woman from a house in Block N of DHA Phase 1, where she lived by herself. The body was moved to a morgue for post-mortem, they had said at the time.

Read more: Unidentified suspects allegedly strangle elderly woman to death in Lahore

Police had also said the domestic help who worked at the woman's house had gone missing after the alleged murder. A first information report (FIR) was registered on behalf of the elderly woman's brother.

An individual who lives in the same locality as the deceased had informed Geo.tv that police said the alleged murder took place around 9am and that the woman had tried to run but had either tripped or was pushed, causing her head to burst open.

Her attackers likely captured her before she could escape, strangling her with an elastic band often used in trousers, the individual had told Geo.tv. Her immediate family lived abroad but her relatives were in Pakistan these days, they had added.

The individual further told Geo.tv that the domestic help was present earlier in the day, claiming the deceased was not feeling well.