Pakistani woman's plot to poison her husband's milk ends up taking 15 lives

A Pakistani woman has been arrested for the deaths of her husband and 14 members of his family, police said on Monday (30 October). Asiya Bibi, 20, has confessed to poisoning her husband Amjad's milk to avenge her forced marriage to him in September.

When her husband refused the drink, her unsuspecting mother-in-law blended the milk into lassi — a milk and yoghurt-based drink — and served it to several members of the family, which resulted in multiple deaths. A seven-year old girl was the latest victim to have died while being treated for poisoning.

A total of 27 people, including several children, were affected by the poisonous drink.

Bibi's alleged lover and his aunt helped her plot the murder, senior police official Owais Ahmad told reporters in central Pakistan's Muzaffargarh district on Monday.

"Police have arrested Asiya Bibi, a man and his aunt for being accomplices and charged them with murder," Ahmad said, the Khaleej Times news website reported.

Initially, it was claimed that a lizard had fallen into the milk which had poisoned it, but Bibi confessed her role in the deaths when she was taken into custody, police said.

The three suspects were presented before the Anti-Terrorism Court in DG Khan on Tuesday and sent on a 14-day physical remand, Geo TV website reported.