The father, a brother and an uncle
of Sana Cheema, the 25-year-old Brescian of Pakistani origin
killed in Pakistan on April 18, have been arrested, Pakistani
journalistic sources said Tuesday.
The young woman is believed to have been killed for refusing
an arranged marriage.
On Monday Pakistani authorities said they were investigating
Cheema's death.
Cheema, who became an Italian citizen in September after
living for years in the northern city of Brescia, had returned
to her birth country two months ago where she died of "natural
causes", according to reports from Pakistan.
However, members of the Pakistani community in Italy have
said she was "killed by her father and brother because she
refused an arranged marriage".
Local media outlets also said she had a boyfriend in Brescia.
Raza Asif, the national secretary of the Pakistani community
in Italy, on Sunday said prosecutors in the Pakistani district
of Gujarat, where the young woman died, are investigating and
"we will know the truth in 48 hours".
The Italian foreign ministry is following the case through
its embassy in Islamabad.
Cheema had opened an automotive office in Brescia but shut it
down at the end of last year.
The Pakistani community in Brescia received a medical
certificate stating that the young woman was taken to hospital
on April 11 after feeling unwell, reportedly due to a heart
attack.
They also said that her father and brother had not been
arrested, as previously claimed by unconfirmed reports.
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