LAHORE, July 14: An eight-month love-marriage of a medical college girl student and a wagon conductor ended at a bloody note here in Jamal Colony, Hanjarwal, early on Monday.

The brothers of the girl, Rabia, took 15 to 20 minutes to kill her husband, Imran, besides injuring her in their ‘honour operation’.

The woman also lost her immature eight-month-old baby when her brothers fired a bullet in her belly.

The accused armed with guns, entered the house of Imran, of Jamal Colony, at around 2:30am, when the family was asleep.

Eyewitness Shahzad, brother of Imran, told Dawn the accused first held their sister at gunpoint and confined her, their uncle and two brothers in a room.

The attackers then fired two bullets at Imran in front of him and his mother, Mukhtaran Bibi, he added. “They also fired two bullets at Imran’s wife Rabia. When they were about to shoot me, I begged for life and they spared me,” Shahzad recalled.

The accused, before leaving the crime scene, fired in the chest of Imran to ensure his instant death and snatched two cell phones, Rs6,000 in cash and a gold chain. He said the accused had warned his mother that they would kill all of them if she recorded her statement to police.

Rabia was taken to Jinnah Hospital where doctors confirmed the death of the pre-matured baby.

“Imran had contracted court marriage with Rabia, a medical student and belonged to well-off family of the Chuhng area, nine months ago but the matter came into the notice of both families one-and-a-half month ago,” Irfan, the brother of deceased Imran, told Dawn. He said Imran was the driver-cum-conductor of a wagon on Lahore-Manga Mandi route. Rabia, who used to commute on the wagon, developed relations with Imran.

He said Rabia was studying at a medical college about which they did not know.

Irfan said Rabia had spent the six months of her marriage at her parents’ house without revealing anything to them, but the pregnancy disclosed the secret to her parents. Later, she shifted to Imran’s house in Jamal Colony.

A female relative of Imran told Dawn that the accused identified as Amjad and his brothers had warned that they would take their sister back.

Two panchayats were held in the last one-and-a-half month, and on Monday another session was to be held but the accused ended the matter before the panchayat could try reconciliation.

Irfan said Imran had received a call from the brothers of his wife three days ago who had called him at some unidentified place apparently to resolve the issue.

He said in spite of many efforts by the accused brothers, Rabia had refused to leave Imran.

Hanjarwal Station House Officer Nazir Oopal said the injured woman had recognised her three brothers -- Amjad, Fazil and Mahboob -- while two others were Taufail and Bhola Gujjar and all of them at large.

He said a first information report had been lodged against the five people on the complaint of Imran’s mother.

He said the couple had contracted marriage in Shahdara court, but Imran’s in-laws had not accepted it.