Lahore: A 23-year-old pregnant woman was burnt alive by her former fiance in the city of Lahore after she married his younger brother.
Sidra was previously engaged to Waris Ali, but when he left for Saudi Arabia last year for work her family married her off to his younger brother, Waqas, police said.
“Waris worked in Saudi Arabia and learnt about the marriage only when he returned. The suspect had developed a grudge against his former fiance for marrying his younger brother,” senior police officer Mohammad Naveed said.
He said the accused was also in the middle of a business dispute with his younger brother.
On Saturday, Sidra was sleeping in her room while the other family members were away. Ali went into the room with a container of petrol and set her on fire. He locked the room and fled.
Police said neighbours alerted firefighters who reached the spot and doused the fire and recovered her charred body.
Sidra’s family told police that she was a few months pregnant.
A murder case has been registered against Ali and his other family members on the complaint of Sidra’s father.
Police are conducting raids to arrest the suspect.
Some family members of Ali have also been taken into custody for interrogation.
