KARACHI, Dec 29 Two suspects arrested in the family slaughter case were remanded in judicial custody on Monday till Dec 31 by a judicial magistrate (central).

The suspects, Zubair Ahmed, 20, and his teenaged friend, Nabeel, were arrested on Dec 16 for their alleged involvement in the murder of 38-year-old Seeman and her three children, Saima, 8, Osama, 6, and Ramsha, 5. The victims were found slaughtered in their house in North Karachi on Dec 13.

On Dec 17, the police had obtained their seven-day physical remand. The suspects were produced in the court of Judicial Magistrate Abdul Sattar on Monday and the magistrate remanded them in judicial custody till Dec 31 directing the police to produce them in court on the next date of hearing.

According to the prosecution, Zubair had masterminded the multiple murders and during the initial interrogations he allegedly confessed to having killed the woman and her three children since the victim's husband had illicit relations with his mother for the past several years and he wanted to take revenge.

A case (FIR 343/08) was registered under Section 302/34 of the Pakistan Penal Code at Khwaja Ajmer Nagri police station on the complaint of Jameel, Seeman's husband.

Meanwhile, a civil judge and judicial magistrate (west) remanded a suspect in police custody till Jan 1 on charges of killing his wife. The police had arrested the suspect, Fazal Karim, on Dec 26.

The prosecution said that the suspect had shot dead his wife, Saira, on June 6, 2008 in their house in Orangi Town after a domestic dispute and escaped. The police registered a case under Section 302 of the Pakistan Penal Code against the suspect at the Orangi Town police station on the complaint of the victim's brother.

Kidnap suspects remanded

The administrative judge of the Anti-Terrorism Courts, Karachi, Justice Salman Ansari, on Monday remanded two suspects in police custody till Jan 5 in a kidnap case.

The suspects, Zakir and Faizan, were arrested by a team of the Anti-Violent Crime Cell in Safoora Goth area on Dec 28.

According to the prosecution, on Dec 17, the suspects kidnapped Zeeshan in the limits of Gulistan-i-Jauhar police station and demanded ransom for his release. Later, they freed the captive after collecting the ransom.

During the interrogation, the suspects disclosed that they had planned the kidnapping as they wanted to get married but were short of money to meet the wedding expenses.

A case was registered under Section 365-A of the Pakistan Penal Code at the Gulistan-i-Jauhar police station on the complaint of Zeeshan's father.