Lahore, April 25, 2026: A disturbing triple murder case in Lahore’s Ichhra has taken a new turn after the mother accused of killing her three young children claimed during police interrogation that she was subjected to coercion and abuse by her husband, officials said on Saturday.
The suspect, identified as Rida, had earlier confessed to killing her three children, aged five, four, and one-and-a-half years, in what investigators described as a “cold-blooded” crime.
According to police sources, Rida has now alleged that her husband forced her into inappropriate phone conversations with unrelated individuals and pressured her to demand money from them, a practice she said she resisted.
She further claimed that her husband was aware of her interactions with a man identified as Shehryar, and that the couple had also visited a spiritual healer on his insistence.
Rida told investigators that she had no desire to continue living with her husband due to his “immoral behaviour” and frequent domestic disputes. However, she said she feared divorce would leave her children without care, as her own family had refused responsibility for them.
Police sources said call data records revealed 746 phone calls between the suspect and Shehryar. Investigators also stated that the children were allegedly killed one by one while playing, after which the suspect changed her clothes.
Authorities added that she initially attempted to mislead investigators by claiming an unidentified intruder had committed the crime and tried to implicate her mother-in-law. However, inconsistencies in her statements and evidence gathered from the crime scene and CCTV footage led to her arrest.
The suspect allegedly left the house after the killings under the pretext of visiting a medical store, in what police described as an attempt to stage the scene.
Rida has attributed her actions to severe mental stress arising from domestic conflict and anxiety over her children’s future.
Police officials said the case is being investigated as a “blind murder” that was initially staged to mislead authorities, but was ultimately uncovered through forensic and scientific evidence.
Authorities also confirmed that the investigation is ongoing and may expand to examine the role of the husband in light of the new allegations.
