The remains of an 18-year-old Pakistani-Italian woman who was killed by her family at Novellara near Reggio Emilia for refusing an arranged marriage in Pakistan18 months ago are believed to have been found near her home at the weekend after the uncle who is believed to have strangled her took police to a spot where previous searches had been fruitless because she had been buried over two metres down.
The remains are believed to be of Saman Abbas, though DNA tests are needed to confirm this.
The uncle, Danish Hasnain, accused of the murder with two of Saman’s cousins, her father Shabbar and mother Nazia, reportedly took police to a site near the family home at the town in Emilia.
Police teams and sniffer dogs had previously failed to find any remains at the spot because they were covered by over two metres of earth, police said.
Hasnain has been accused by Sama’s brother of being the actual killer, strangling the young woman after she refused to marry an older man in Pakistan and thus ‘dishonouring’ the family, police said.
The family also disapproved of Saman’s western lifestyle and her Italian boyfriend.
The young woman disappeared on the night of April 30-May 1 last year.
Her father was arrested in Pakistan last week and is awaiting extradition while her mother is still on the run in the Asian country.
It is unclear whether Pakistan will grant extradition.