Crimes that shocked nation in 2022
As we move forward to the next year, we can only hope that the coming year brings positivity, good vibes and justice to all those who deserve it
Updated Friday Dec 23 2022
In addition to many positive moments and stories, the year 2022 was also a year riddled with tragic, gruesome, and malevolent events. From mass murder to femicide, from deadly attacks on famous personalities and foreign nationals to high-profile rape cases, this year saw it all.
As we move forward to the next year, we can only hope that the coming year brings positivity, good vibes, and justice to all those who deserve it.
Here are a few shocking crime stories we rounded up that kept the police and security agencies on their toes during the outgoing year.
Arshad Sharif assassination: A valiant voice silenced forever
On October 23, senior journalist and anchorperson Arshad Sharif was shot dead by the Kenyan police in a “mistaken identity” case while he was travelling to its capital Nairobi from the country’s Magadi town.
The government formed a fact-finding committee, manned by Federal Investigation Agency’s (FIA) Athar Waheed and Intelligence Bureau’s (IB) Omar Shahid Hamid that travelled to Kenya to probe into the incident.
The murder is still being investigated and a special joint investigation team (JIT) has also been formed to get to the bottom of the case on the orders of the Supreme Court. The investigation remains inconclusive so far.
Sarah Inam murder: A courageous candle snuffed out
On September 23, Sarah Inam, 37, a Pakistani expatriate, was allegedly murdered by her husband, Shahnawaz, son of senior journalist Ayaz Amir, just three months into their marriage.
Shahnawaz allegedly killed Sarah at home — a farmhouse in Islamabad's Chak Shahzad area — after a row over a "family issue". After being detained by the police as the prime suspect in the murder — he confessed to killing Sarah, saying he "thought" his spouse was having an affair.
The hacking of eight: A tale of a nocturnal axing spree in Punjab
On October 8, eight men were murdered with an axe while sleeping in the farms in a village near Sheikhupura, Punjab.
The police said that the culprit attacked the victims sleeping at different spots in the fields after 3am. Cops arrested the suspected murderer, whom they claimed to be mentally unstable, with the murder weapon.
Friendship under attack: Chinese nationals killed in KU suicide blast
On April 26, four people, including three Chinese nationals, were killed while four others sustained injuries in a car explosion on the premises of the University of Karachi.
According to the Counter-Terrorism Department (CTD), it was a suicide blast and was carried out by a burqa-clad woman.
Later, the suspected mastermind behind the attack was reported to have been captured. The information extracted by the police from the suspect revealed that the KU blast was a joint terrorist activity by Balochistan Liberation Army (BLA) and Balochistan Liberation Federation-Karachi (BLF).
Terror bites: Chinese dentists in the line of fire
On September 28, one person was killed while two were injured in an attack on a Chinese dentist’s clinic in Karachi's Saddar area.
The unidentified suspect arrived at Dr H U Richard’s clinic as a patient and opened fire as soon as he went inside the treatment room, the police said.
Later in October, the suspect identified as Waqar Khushk was arrested. "The suspect had no personal enmity with the victims. He carried out the attack to spread terror," said Sindh Information Minister Sharjeel Memon.
Horror in Gulshan: Man kills wife, boils body in cauldron
In yet another horrific incident, a mother of six was killed and boiled in a pot by her husband in Gulshan-e-Iqbal, Karachi on July 14.
Nargis's body was discovered in a cauldron in the kitchen of a private school. According to District East SSP Abdur Rahim Sherazi, preliminary investigations and the children's statements suggested that the suspect smothered his wife to death with a pillow before boiling her in the cauldron in front of his children. One of the woman's legs was severed from her body.
Police are yet to find a motive behind the murder. However, it was reported that the husband was forcing the victim to engage in illicit relationships with other men and murdered her when she refused to obey him.
US TikToker raped in Pakistan
A US TikToker visiting Pakistan was allegedly gang-raped by her tour guide and his accomplice at a hotel during her visit to the tourist site.
Two men were arrested on the charges of gang-raping the foreigner. Meanwhile, the suspect said in his statement to the police that he and the victim were in a relationship.
Financial stress: Allegedly broke man butchers wife, daughters
A man allegedly killed his wife, 38 and three daughters aged 16, 12, and 10, with a sharp-edged tool in Karachi's Shamsi Society, before trying to unsuccessfully stab himself to death.
The suspect identified as Fawad said he was depressed due to financial issues and was tired of explaining things to his wife. He confessed to killing his daughters while his wife was in the bathroom.
Body in rickshaw: Murdered wife moved to in-laws' house
A man transported the body of his wife in a rented rickshaw along with a minor daughter after torturing her (his spouse) to death over a domestic dispute in Lahore.
The suspect, Nisar, murdered his wife, Anjum, in the jurisdiction of Harbanspura Police Station.
‘Dreamt’ blasphemy: Three girls slaughter female teacher
Three girls killed a female seminary teacher after accusing her of blasphemy in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa's Dera Ismail Khan.
The suspects said that their 13-year-old relative "had a dream" in which the victim, Safoora Bibi, allegedly committed blasphemy. The suspects, 17, 21, and 24 are in police custody.
Thumbnail and banner illustration. — Geo.tv/AyeshaNabi