UK woman, 25, ‘shot in head’ during visit to Pakistan as police open murder case

The victim had come to Pakistan two months ago

File image: A representative image of a police officer in Pakistan (AP)

A 25-year-old London resident of Pakistani origin has been shot dead in an apartment in Lahore, with police opening up a murder investigation.

The body of the woman, identified by police and Pakistan media reports only by her first name Maya, was found on Monday after she was shot in the head.

Lahore police told the Dawn newspaper that the woman arrived in Pakistan two months ago from the UK, where her family lives. Officers were alerted to the killing by an anonymous caller, after which police went to the scene and called for forensic experts.

Maya’s mobile phone was lying near her body when the police reached the spot, and has been taken for analysis. Police said they were also assessing footage of nearby CCTV cameras for any leads in the case.

The police said they are after “two suspects” but would not share further details at this stage.

The police also said that a friend of Maya’s was living in the adjoining room of the apartment, but that she had been unable to provide any clues as to the killing.

Police said the family in the UK had been contacted, and that the woman’s body was taken away for autopsy.

This article was amended on 18 May, 2021. It was initially thought that the victim was a British citizen, however she was a Belgian national, resident in the UK, and we have amended the article to reflect this.