Renowned religious scholar Dr Hafiz Abdul Rasheed Azhar has been strangled to death, police said on Saturday. According to police, the religious scholar was strangled to death by two unidentified visitors at his house in sector 1/11 in Sabzimandi police precincts. Fifty five-year old Dr Azhar was an internationally recognised scholar for his lectures on Islam. He belonged to Ahlehadith school of thought. Quoting the statement of Azhar’s family, police said two youth visited his residence in the afternoon and had lunch with the scholar. Police said later the two men strangled their host to death and fled with his car and mobile phone. The visitors were strangers and only Azhar was acquainted with them. Police said the incident surfaced when Azhar’s son came home late on Saturday and inquired about his father. Upon inquiring, the mother told him that his father had been sitting in guest room with guests for the last several hours. On this, the boy went to the room to find his father dead and tied with ropes. The family informed the police and the body was then taken to Pakistan Institute of Medical Sciences (PIMS) for medico-legal formalities. Police said initial examination showed that the victim was strangled to death.