Police sought 7 days’ physical remand, saying that suspect needed to be interrogated
RAWALPINDI:
A Rawalpindi court on Monday remanded Ahsan Tahir, the husband of television anchorperson Rabia Ahsan, in police custody for one day in connection with her murder and directed police to produce him before the court again on Tuesday.
Rabia, a 41-year-old anchorperson associated with 92 News, was found shot dead at her home in Rawalpindi on Sunday. Her husband was taken into custody in connection with the incident, which prompted an outpouring of grief from colleagues and members of the journalist community.
Police had sought seven days’ physical remand, telling the court that the suspect had allegedly killed his wife and needed to be interrogated. After the hearing, Ahsan was taken back to Sadar Bairuni police station.
The case was registered at the police station on the complaint of Rabia’s brother, Khurram Ahmed, who accused Ahsan of shooting his sister at their home in Gulshanabad Sector II, on Adiala Road, on Sunday.
According to the FIR, Rabia’s mother and sister were in the lawn at around 2:30pm when they heard a gunshot from the bedroom. Her sister rushed inside and found Rabia lying on the floor in a pool of blood, while Ahsan was holding a pistol.
The FIR stated that Ahsan told police he had fired at his wife with the same weapon. Police said he had failed to produce a licence or permit for the pistol. The case was registered under Section 302 of the Pakistan Penal Code and Section 13(2)(a) of the Punjab Arms Amendment Ordinance.
Read: Anchorperson shot dead at home in Rawalpindi, husband arrested
Rabia had presented her last programme on a mainstream television channel on Saturday night. Police sources said her mother and sisters had also been at the house when the incident occurred.
The suspect was a grade-18 officer at the Overseas Pakistanis Foundation, according to police sources. Rabia was survived by two daughters and also ran a private salon in Islamabad.
A team from the Punjab Forensic Science Agency collected evidence from the crime scene. Her body was shifted to a hospital for a post-mortem examination.
