A man gunned down three women before committing suicide near Gaddafi Stadium on Wednesday evening, the police said. The incident happened in the larger Gaddafi stadium area, which houses the stadium and a commercial area including a mall.
The police said that the man, identified as Bashir, was sitting in the back seat along with one of the women, while the other two sat in the front of a grey coloured car, which pulled up near the stadium. They had apparently gone out for shopping.
The women were identified as sisters Maira and Naila and their mother, Khadija, wife of retired official of the Income Tax Department Younis Bhatti.
According to some sources, Bashir and Younis are reported to be former class fellows.
According to eyewitnesses, the man had a disagreement with the women and opened fire at them before pulling the gun on himself and committing suicide. The sisters died on the spot while their mother was rushed to a nearby hospital where she succumbed to her wounds. The victims are reported to be residents of Baghbanpura.
Shocked over the incident, the victims’ neighbours said that they had never seen Bashir in the area.
“Why would someone murder such an honourable family?,” said one of the neighbours.
Jawad, son of Khadija and Younis, runs a computer shop in Gujranwala under the name of Jawad Traders.
Superintendent of Police (SP) Umer Virk told journalists that the incident appeared to be a result of domestic dispute, adding that the police had kicked off investigation into the incident.
“We are still investigating as to why the man shot the women dead… evidence is still being gathered,” said Deputy Inspector General Operations Dr Haider Ashraf.
