LAHORE, July 22: An unidentified armed man shot dead a 45-year-old woman and her 18-year-old daughter at their house in A-III, Johar Town on Monday afternoon.

Witnesses and police said the motive for the shooting was not clear and the assailant, who hid himself in the house for some time, fled later.

The incident took place at the house of Advocate Chaudhry Shahid Hussain who lost his wife Tahira and daughter Tehreem, an intermediate student, in the incident.

Quoting Advocate Hussain’s daughters and sister-in-law, his fellow lawyer Hammad Anwer told Dawn that a masked armed man entered the house apparently by scaling the boundary wall and hid himself in a room. The assailant made a sudden appearance and held Tahira’s sister hostage.

He opened fire on Tahira when she tried to run away and then on her daughter Tahreem when she started screaming. The assailant tried to target Tahira’s second daughter, but she escaped. The assailant then fled on foot with his gun pointed at people who had gathered outside. The girl who had escaped alerted her neighbours. Rescue 1122 ambulances reached the scene and shifted the victims to Jinnah Hospital where they were pronounced dead.

Anwer said Advocate Hussain was at Model Town Courts at the time of the incident and he came to know about the incident at 1:15pm. He said the family had no issue with anyone.

However, a neighbour told this reporter that Advocate Hussain’s sister was murdered by her husband a year ago and he pleaded his sister’s case in the court.

A senior police investigator told Dawn that the family dispute apparently led to the incident. He said the assailant gave the murder colour of a robbery, as he asked for cash and valuables before fleeing. He said the assailant had hid himself in the drawing room. The housemaid saw him and raised the alarm.

He said the husband of Advocate Hussain’s slain sister was released on bail from a jail 20 days ago and he had paid compensation for reconciliation. He said as the assailant had hid himself in the house, he might have been waiting for Advocate Hussain’s arrival.

The investigator said police had recorded statements of all family members and the housemaid.

Police shifted the bodies for autopsies and registered a case against the unknown assailant.