Monday, May 19, 2008
By Shakeel Anjum

ISLAMABAD: The family of an Army officer — wife and two young sons — was burnt after they were slaughtered in their apartment in the National Defence University (NDU) premises adjacent to the Air Force Complex in E-9/3, police said.

Preliminary medical report, confirming the killings before the bodies were set on fire, said that the throats of all the family members were cut with a sharp weapon.The members of the family of Lt Col Saleem Cheema ñ Fauzia Saleem, 36 (wife) and sons Aasher Saleem, 11, and 9-year-old Hamza Saleem ñ were in the bedroom of their three-bed apartment (14, Block-F) of the NDU residential area while their orderly, Shahid, was in the servant quarter when the killings occurred.

The head of the family, Lt Col Saleem Cheema, is nowadays on a visit to South Korea.Police received first information through fire brigade at about 4.30 am on Sunday when a resident pointed out that smoke was coming out of the apartment, the sources said, adding that the smoke stopped erupting before the arrival of the firefighters. However, the firefighters found three completely scorched bodies lying in a bedroom and informed the Margala Police.

The police officials reached the scene and collected evidences from the crime scene, police said, adding that the detectives found two empties of bullets and a dagger from the bedroom and bloodstains on the floor.

The bodies were shifted to the Pakistan Institute of Medical Sciences (PIMS) for post mortem at 11.30 am. The alleged assassin set the bodies on fire after cutting their throats to conceal the proof of the murders but the slaughtered throats were quite visible. The right arm of 9-year-old Hamza was broken and hanging with the body, which later separated from his body that indicated inhuman torture with the boy before slaughtering him. The intestines and liver of Aasher were exposed and had come out from a big hole in the stomach.

All the three bodies were completely scorched and the team of doctors faced difficulties in conducting autopsies on them. However, the pathologists took the help of radiology for autopsy and conducted X-ray to examine the internal parts of the bodies.

The X-ray process of Fauzia Saleem was conducted twice to clear doubts. The first X-ray indicated pieces of metallic dense opacities spread in various parts of her body, including the upper portion of her neck. The second X-ray confirmed the presence of metallic pieces. But the pathologists didn't confirm that it were pieces of bullets. The course of autopsy took over 12 hours due to the dreadful condition of the bodies.

Nine-year-old Hamza was burnt alive after cutting his throat, the medical report said. "Carbon articles were found in his trachea (wind pipe), indicating that he was breathing when burnt," adding that Fauzia and Aasher were set on fire after their death, said the report.

"The aspect of intoxication before the killings cannot be ruled out," a pathologist said when asked, adding that the final opinion could be given after the chemical examiner's report. He said although the viscera of all the three bodies were also affected but parts of viscera had been taken to send for chemical examination.

Air Force, Naval and Army Complexes are highly sensitive areas of the federal capital and are under the military security, police sources said. The agencies tried to hide the facts presenting the gory incident as a security lapse but the police found two empty bullets, a bloodstained dagger and blood blots on the scene of the incident.

"The victims were burnt after their murder," the sources, quoting the report said. The Inter Services Public Relations (ISPR) in a press note said, "In an unfortunate incident of dacoity in Islamabad today, an officer's wife and two children were murdered. The suspect, a domestic servant, has been arrested and the stolen goods recovered. Further investigations are underway".

The police, following the lines and standpoint of the ISPR, termed it as 'dacoity' and have arrested the servant, Shahid, claiming the 'recovery' of looted valuables from his custody. It seems that they have overlooked the evidences that show the ruthless murder of the three innocent members of the family was apparently the result of a security lapse.

Inspector General of Police (IGP), Islamabad, Syed Asghar Raza Gardezi, when contacted for comments, said, "It will be counter-productive to say anything before time", adding that the police were trying to get clues to the assailant without wasting time and hopefully, the police would get to the criminal. He said that at the initial stage, there were different views about the incident but the police were probing the facts.

“The servant of the family is under investigation with the Army and we are waiting for their conclusion," the IGP said adding, "We have collected forensic and other evidences from the crime scene. The disclosure of the evidences may hamper the course of investigation,” he maintained.

Online adds: A Rehman Malik, Advisor to the Prime Minister on Interior, has expressed deep sorrow and grief over the tragic incident. He directed inspector general of the police to thoroughly probe into the sad incident in collaboration with the Army authorities and submit the initial report of this tragic incident.


http://thenews.jang.com.pk/daily_detail.asp?id=113339

Terriable news really terriable who could kill woman and children like that i am really sad may ALLAH provide them janat.

I think it was a hit, done by some professional look how they were killed i mean the killer went in did his job nobody even noticed a think even if you scream in an appartment slowly nabours can always hear you so whoever this guy was he was trained, professional and knew how to do his job and make a clean escape, burn the bodies to make it look like an accident.

Terriable news really terriable who could kill woman and children like that i am really sad may ALLAH provide them janat.

Inna lillahe wa inna ilaehe rajeoon...

What I am thinking is that what could the motive be behind such atrocious murders?! Who cld or rather wld do such a thing! Such barbarism! I hope they catch the culprits and do the same to them b4 threatening to kill their family in the same way.

i bet there is a lot more to this... i cannot believe someone will kill the whole family to rob an apartment. they need to figure out whether there was any resistence by any family member before they were murdered. if not then i am sure this is a result of dispute and persnonal greivences...

omg ... what the hell... who could do such a thing... small children too

thats messed up

Inna Lillahi Wa-Inna Ilehi Rajioun.

Inna Lillahi Wa-Inna Ilehi Rajioun
If caught those criminals should be burnt to death here and here after.
May allah have mercy on the poor souls of the family .

Police take up murder case of colonel’s family



Tuesday, May 20, 2008
Our crime correspondent

Islamabad

The Margalla Police have registered a case on the complaint of Colonel ® Muhammad Naeem Anwar Cheema, elder brother of Fauzia Saleem, who was slaughtered and burnt on the midnight of Saturday and Sunday along with her two sons, Hasher Saleem, 11, and Hamza Saleem, 9, in her apartment in Sector E-9.

Colonel ® Muhammad Naeem Cheema, son of Muhammad Anwar Cheema, resident of Lalazar, Rawalpindi, said in his complaint that his brother-in-law Colonel Muhammad Saleem Cheema, who was attending a war course at the National Defence University (NDU), was living in residential apartment in NDU Colony along with his wife and two sons. Their servant Shahid Abbas was also living with them.

On Sunday, he reached there after receiving information about fire at the house of his sister Fauzia at 6:30 a.m. The firefighters were present near the apartment when he reached there. “I found scorched bodies of my sister and her two sons and their throats were cut visibly,” he said. Expressing doubts on servant Shahid Abbas, he said that his character was not good requesting police to take action against the assailant(s).

http://thenews.jang.com.pk/daily_detail.asp?id=113711

The possibilities is
1.there were more than one killers.
2.The gun might have been fired by the lady who could not aim properly at the intruder, the second one slit her throat before an other fire.
3.If apartment is locked only possiblitiy is servant holding the key.
4.what kind of security check was carried out on domestic servant.I think if civilians are to be enroled we should aim for female domestic servants instead of males.
5.The computerised criminal record must be maintained linked through well integrated nation wide network

TO ME IT LOOKS LIKE AN ACT BY MILITANTS.

SUCH A BARBARIC ACT CAN BE EXPECTED BY A TRAINED BRAINWASHED S.O.B MILITANT.

Hmm i think its done by some elements inside teh army itself..>!!!

This is all part of a concentrated effort targeting all branches of the military in getting senior officers to divulge military secrets, anyone remember the Sqaudron Leader who has not been found yet ?

just trying to comprehend how that officer is going to cope with this situation...

Thats awful. What shall that colonel do at this stage. It is really pinching me!! :(