Senior Super indent of Police (SSP) Investigation Rana Ayaz Saleem has confirmed that alleged key suspect ‘Tooba” of Areeba murder case has been arrested
Abeera Iqbal alias Areeba was murdered on 12th January 2015, who’s dead body was found in suitcase at a bus stand in Sher Kot. Post-mortem confirmed that she was raped before being murdered.
According to details, Areeba who wanted to be a model. On January 12, Tooba invited Areeba to her house for dinner. At the dinner, Tooba’s accomplice Aslam allegedly tried to rape Areeba. When Areeba resisted, she was killed and her body was stuffed in a bag. Her body was then dumped outside a bus stand on Bund road on the morning of January 13. Her body bore strangulation and torture marks.
Also Read: Areeba Murder: Police reveals some hidden facts
Abeera Iqbal, was a student at Punjab University and lived in a hostel.
In the CCTV footage, Tooba can be seen along with a man dropping off the suitcase at the bus station.
SSP Salim said that the police have arrested Tooba while raids are being carried out in search of the other suspect.
“Police detained the hostel owner where Abeera used to live, who in turn, identified Tooba from the CCTV footages shown to him and police tracked down accused Tooba by tracing her phone call details.”
Family’s account
Victim Abeera Iqbal’s father, Muhammad Iqbal Bhatti is a resident of Cantt area in Sialkot.
Her brothers, Javed and Zohaib Iqbal Bhatti are into real estate business in Sialkot. Her mother died couple of years ago.
Uzma, Abeera’s sister, while speaking to the media said Abeera wanted to become a model and was fond of taking her pictures.
“Is trying to become a model a crime so big as to be punished by death?” she questioned.
“The culprits must be given an exemplary punishment so that never again a sister will have to cry over her sibling’s murder,” she added.
Further, she said, “Abeera had never hurt anyone and had a soft heart, she wanted to complete her studies too and she was a good girl, not involved in any bad activities.”
“I request the police to be with us and help us take the ones responsible for my sister’s murder, to book,” she pleaded.
Sources within the police department told the media that the girl’s family was also trying to get her body exhumed and get her buried in her home town.