Dog’s inquisitiveness helps Pakistani police solve murder mystery

Tariq Butt, Correspondent

The relentless efforts of a pet dog to dig through a heap of burnt garbage led villagers and Okanwala Bangla police of Sahiwal to solve the mystery of the brutal murder of Umer Hayat, an agricultural labourer, said a report.

Investigations revealed that Hayat’s wife Shamim and her brother, Fida Hussain, were accused of murdering him, disfiguring his face, and disposing of his body in a nearby garbage heap, which they set on fire to conceal the crime.

The police arrested both suspects and nominated them in the case filed on Feb.18.

The murder occurred in village 105/12-L, Tehsil Chichawatni, between the nights of Feb.13 and Feb.14.

On Feb.18, a pet dog unearthed Umer Hayat’s feet from the burnt garbage, alerting villagers and landlord Nadeem Abbas Shah, at whose farmhouse Hayat was employed.

According to reports, Syed Bilal Nawaz, a resident of the village, called the police emergency line (15) on Feb.18 after noticing human feet at the burnt garbage. Villagers had observed the pet dog digging the heap.

The Okanwala Bangla police rushed to the scene and recovered a severely damaged, unidentifiable body from the burnt garbage.

Sahiwal district police officer (DPO) Rana Tahir formed an investigation team led by deputy superintendent of police (DSP) Taseer Riaz and Station House Officer (SHO) Shahzad Ahmed. Despite forensic and autopsy, the body’s identity remained unknown.

Following a tip from villagers and further investigation, the police traced Umer Hayat’s last known residence at Nadeem Abbas Shah’s farmhouse.

Umer Hayat alias Multani had been working with his wife Shamim and their four children at the farmhouse for the past two years. He belonged to Multan, while Shamim was from Khanewal. They had been married for 15 years and had four children.

A few days before the body’s discovery, Nadeem Abbas Shah informed the police that Umer Hayat and his family had left his employment and returned to their hometown in Tehsil Jahaniya, Khanewal.

On Feb.18, the police registered a murder case against unknown persons.

Before burial, the police contacted Umer Hayat’s mother in Multan to check if any family member was missing. She reported that her son had disappeared from the farmhouse. When police showed her the feet, she initially denied it was her son. Shamim also denied recognising the feet.

However, police questioned both families on why they had not reported Umer’s disappearance.

DNA samples were taken from Hayat’s mother and the deceased for confirmation. A few days later, Hayat’s mother called the police and identified the feet as her son’s.

Upon further investigation, police learned that Shamim had claimed she left the farmhouse with Umer and their children on Feb.12.
However, inquiries in village 157/10-R revealed that Shamim had arrived there alone with her children and brother Fida Hussain without Umer.

Further probe discovered that both Umer and his wife Shamim had allegedly affairs. Shamim confessed that Umer confronted her about the affair a week before his murder, leading to a violent altercation.