A Rawalpindi court sentenced the murderer Rizwan Habib Bangash to death, along with awarding him ten years of imprisonment. A team of United States investigators were also present at the hearing, as Wajiha was a US national.
Rizwan had murdered his ex-wife — 47-year-old Wajiha Farooq Swati — on October 16, 2021 and had buried her at the house of his servant in Lakki Marwat. The body had been discovered in December 2021, and the same month Rizwan had confessed to murdering his wife.
Rawalpindi police in January 2022 arrested six suspects in connection with the murder, including Hurriatullah, the father of Bangash, and Sultan, his servant. The individuals arrested in addition to Rizwan were charged with aiding and abetting the murder.
In the hearing of the case today, Additional Sessions Judge Muhammad Afzal Majoka, sentenced Hurriatullah and Sultan to seven years in prison each. Due to lack of evidence, the other three suspects — Yousuf, Zahida and Rashid — were acquitted.
During the investigation it was discovered that the deceased had been demanding her property worth millions of rupees be returned to her. She had transferred the property to Bangash before they got divorced.