LAHORE:
Police claimed on Friday to have solved the case of the deaths of a United States national and her three children, alleging that the woman had meticulously planned the incident by purchasing poison online and administering it to the children and consuming it herself.
Addressing a news conference, DIG Investigation Zeeshan Raza said the deceased woman had been declared the prime suspect following an extensive investigation that included forensic analysis, digital evidence and questioning several people.
According to the official, investigators found that the woman had been suffering from mental illness and had repeatedly searched online for methods of killing herself and her family members.
He said the investigation had revealed that while she was still in the US, the woman had contacted a chemical dealer based in Lahore through social media and sought to purchase potassium cyanide. After the dealer declined to send the chemical abroad, she allegedly paid Rs138,540 online and arranged to collect it after arriving in Pakistan.
The investigators said the chemicals shop owner based in Chung Amar Sidhu had allegedly procured the poison from Akbari Mandi for Rs6,000 before delivering it through a rider. The police have arrested the shop owner and the rider, initiating legal action against them.
The woman had travelled from the US to Lahore with her husband, Nasir Dogar, and their three children and rented a house in Valencia Town.
The police alleged that after arriving, she had arranged for the parcel containing the poison to be delivered to a friend’s residence. She had met the friend at a pizza outlet and collected the parcel on July 16.
The following day, she mixed the poisonous substance into ice cream served to her children before consuming it herself, the investigators alleged.
The children killed in the incident were 15-year-old Rehan, 11-year-old Arisha and nine-year-old Arsal.
The DIG said the investigators had also conducted a polygraph examination of the children’s father. He was asked eight questions during the test and the investigators found no evidence linking him to the deaths.
The case had been registered as a murder investigation under Section 302 of the Pakistan Penal Code after the police found the bodies of the three children in the house and the woman later died in hospital.
During the investigation, the police collected food samples, medicines, fingerprints and digital devices for forensic examination. The investigators had also found antidepressant medicines allegedly used by the woman.
According to the police, forensic examination of her mobile phone had revealed repeated online searches relating to suicide and methods of killing family members. Digital records helped the investigators trace the purchase and delivery of the poison.
