After dodging arrest for three years, the mother of Saman Abbas has been taken into custody in Azad Kashmir, Italian news agency Ansa has said.
The 18-year-old was an Italian-Pakistani teenager who went missing in the Reggio Emilia on April 30, 2021, and her body was found in November 2022.
Her mother, Nazia Shaheen, left Italy after the murder. An international arrest warrant was issued against her.
The arrest is said to be made possible through joint efforts between Interpol and the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA).
Shaheen was taken to Islamabad, where she appeared before the court on Friday for the extradition procedure.
Her husband, Shabbar Abbas, was also extradited to Italy in August 2023 after he came to Pakistan following the murder b
In December 2023, a court in Reggio Emilia sentenced the couple to life in prison in absentia after finding them guilty of homicide.
Ansa reports that as per the orders by Italian judges, Saman’s mother “may have been the person who actually carried out the murder.”
The judges also dismissed the widely believed notion that Saman’s refusal to marry an older man in Pakistan was the motive for the murder. Instead, they determined that the killing was a “spur of the moment” act, driven by anger over the victim’s desire to leave home and live with her boyfriend.
Saman’s uncle was also extradited from France for the trial. He has been sentenced to 14 years, while two cousins were acquitted.
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