KARACHI: Pakistani police have arrested a woman and her cousin for allegedly poisoning 13 family members to death after facing opposition to their marriage, a police official said on Tuesday.
Ameer Bux Brohi and Shaista Brohi, cousins from a small settlement in Sindh, had hoped to marry each other, but their families disapproved of their decision. Last month, Ameer brought poison, which Shaista mixed into the dough, killing six people instantly. Seven more died later while receiving medical treatment.
Initially, authorities believed the victims had died from consuming contaminated milk. However, chemical analysis conducted by the Sukkur Chemical Laboratory confirmed the presence of toxic substances, including insecticide and benzodiazepine, in the bodies of the deceased.
“We have arrested both Ameer Bux Brohi and Shaista Brohi, who have confessed to their crime,” Dr. Samiullah Soomro, Senior Superintendent of Police in Khairpur, told Arab News. “They told the police that they loved each other and together poisoned their family members.”
Talib Hussain Junejo, Station House Officer in the area where the incident happened, said both families lived together in the same house and consumed the poisoned food. He also informed that 15 members of both families, including Ameer and Shaista, were present when the meals were served, making the law enforcement officials suspicious.
The couple informed the police that Gul Baig, Shaista’s father, had refused the marriage.
“We both decided not to flee to get married,” the police officer said while quoting the suspects’ statement. “Instead, we chose to kill everyone so we could marry freely.”
Junejo said that man and the woman also expressed regret over the actions during the interrogation.
The incident echoes a similar case from 2017, when 21-year-old Aasia Bibi was accused of poisoning her husband’s milk, resulting in the deaths of 17 members of his extended family.
Bibi had repeatedly rejected the man’s marriage proposal but was ultimately forced to marry him. After the wedding, she decided to poison her husband but also caused the death of the rest of the family.
