**Rawalpindi Police Expose Honor Killing Cover-Up Through CCTV, Human Intelligence**
Rawalpindi police have uncovered a chilling case of honor killing and an attempted cover-up, following the alleged murder of a woman named Sidra on the orders of a tribal jirga. Persistent investigation, the use of critical human intelligence, and compelling CCTV footage have brought the case to light, unraveling a tangled web of secrecy and deception.
According to details emerging from social media and police sources, Sidra, wife of Zia-ur-Rehman, went missing after a dispute with her husband. Suspicion was fueled by rumors of Sidra’s connection to a man named Usman, prompting her husband, father Arab Gul, and local trader leader Ismatullah—all with familial ties—to search for her. Their search led them to Usman’s house without success. Eventually, Sidra was located in Muzaffarabad, and after discussions within the family, a tribal jirga was convened.
Sidra was brought back to Rawalpindi by Ismatullah, her father, and brother. In the early hours of the following day, a jirga in Zia-ur-Rehman’s house—with participation from both sides of the family—declared Sidra had forfeited her right to live over her actions. She was reportedly strangled by her own father, brother, and paternal uncle-in-law. The household’s women then quickly performed her funeral rites, with Ismatullah leading the prayer.
In a bid to erase evidence, the group contacted a relative connected to the Pirwadhai graveyard committee, locally known as “Chatti Qabar,” to arrange a rapid burial. When advised that digging a grave would take several hours, they insisted on doing it themselves. Sidra’s plastic-wrapped body was brought by rickshaw, interred before the grave was fully prepared, and any evidence of the burial was immediately obscured.
Police suspicion was aroused by unusual activity at the cemetery. In an apparent attempt to preempt police attention, Ismatullah and his associates submitted a complaint to Rawalpindi police, alleging Sidra had been kidnapped or eloped with Usman. They also filed a petition in court, accusing the police of negligence.
Having already noticed suspicious burials, officers expanded their search across several graveyards, including Pirwadhai, Dhok Hamidan, and H-11. The investigation broke open when a rickshaw driver, identified through human intelligence, admitted to transporting a body to the cemetery. Further review of graveyard records revealed suspicious alterations, including a ripped burial receipt and Sidra’s name being scratched out. However, crucial CCTV footage from the cemetery office depicted the family carrying Sidra’s plastic-wrapped body.
With this evidence in hand, police arrested the involved gravedigger and graveyard committee member, who then cooperated, allowing authorities to swiftly detain several suspects from both Sidra’s family and in-laws. Legal proceedings to exhume the body for autopsy are underway, with a court-approved request and a hearing notice issued to Sidra’s relatives. Senior Rawalpindi police officials, including Regional Police Officer Babar Sarfraz Alpa, have personally reviewed the case on site.
To date, the graveyard committee member and gravedigger remain in custody, while some ten additional suspects—both men and women—are under surveillance and interrogation. Sources also revealed that Ismatullah, known as a trader at Bara Market with close political connections, has previously faced legal action for challenging the police during enforcement operations. The investigation continues as police work to ensure justice for Sidra.
