A Pakistani national in London, United Kingdom, has been jailed for life after being convicted of murdering a 21-year-old Pakistani woman and dumping her body in a suitcase on a road. He was given the sentence on Friday after a jury found him guilty of the crime.
27-year-old student Muhammad Arslan was jailed for life after a trial at the Old Bailey that continued for three weeks. Aside from murder of Hina Bashir, Arslan has also been convicted of hampering the course of justice. The court said that Arslan was “obsessed” with the victim, and killed her by forcing a mask into her mouth in July last year. He will now serve at least 20 years in jail.
According to Dawn, Arslan confessed to manslaughter, but denied that he had murdered the woman. But the evidence put forth by the prosecution proved otherwise, leading to his conviction.
Prosecutor Gareth Patterson KC reportedly presented the strong evidence against Arslan, which included the victim’s blood that was found on Arslan’s bed. Matching face masks were also discovered at his home and the one used to silence the victim.
It was also stated by the prosecution that Arslan’s DNA was discovered on the handle of the suitcase that he used to hide the body. It was also revealed, through telephone records, that Arslan had taken Bashir’s phone to “jealously examine” her text messages to other men.
