Peshawar girl's mother admits helping her hang herself

PESHAWAR: Police in Peshawar have opened an investigation into the death of a girl identified as Iqra, whose body was found hanging from a tree near Khyber Teaching Hospital, a major medical facility in the provincial capital. Her age was not specified in the reports. SP Cantt, the officer quoted by both Daily Times and ARY News, said the incident did not initially appear to be a suicide.

The officer said Iqra's mother was present at the scene under suspicious circumstances. Investigators later learned that the girl was unmarried and pregnant. According to Daily Times, the mother initially claimed her daughter wanted to take her own life. ARY News reported that the mother later admitted helping her daughter hang herself from the tree. Police suspect that other people could also have been involved in the death.

The SP said CCTV footage has been obtained to help determine what happened before and during the incident. Investigators would examine the evidence and conduct the case on merit, he added. Further details are expected as the investigation progresses.

In a separate case reported from Karachi, a woman died by suicide in Nusrat Bhutto Colony, North Nazimabad. Police said she shot herself with a firearm after a domestic dispute with her mother-in-law. According to Shahrah-e-Noor Jahan police, the woman became distressed following an argument with her mother-in-law and took the extreme step. Officers recovered the weapon and shifted the body to Abbasi Shaheed Hospital for legal formalities. The name of the Karachi victim was not given in the reports.

The Peshawar case is being handled by police in the Cantt area of the city, while the Karachi case is being handled by Shahrah-e-Noor Jahan police. No arrests were reported in either case, and the reports did not specify when the incidents took place.