This is the prime suspect accused of murdering a British law graduate in Pakistan out of jealousy over her relationship with another man.
Saad Ameer Butt, 28, is one of two men being sought for the brutal killing of Mayra Zulfiquar in Lahore but police in Pakistan confirmed to MailOnline that he is the chief suspect.
The other man being searched for is Zahir Jadoon, who police revealed was in a relationship with Ms Zulfiquar, 24, and had rented the house where she was killed so that they could spend time there away from her family.
Police are hunting both men and do not know if they acted alone or together as they try to solve the murder.
Saad Ameer Butt, 28, (pictured) is one of two men being sought for the brutal killing of Mayra Zulfiquar in Lahore but police in Pakistan confirmed to MailOnline that he is the chief suspect
The other man being searched for is Zahir Jadoon, who police revealed was in a relationship with 24-year-old Ms Zulfiquar (pictured)
Superintendent Sayyed Ali of Punjab police, who is responsible for Lahore’s up-market Defence district of Lahore where the house is located told MailOnline: ‘From our initial enquiries Butt was romantically interested in Mayra even though she was involved with Zahir.
‘He had rented a house so that they could spend time together and, in the weeks, leading up to the murder, were seen frequently with each other going out and about.’
Referring to Butt, Superintendent Ali added: ‘Police have had previous dealings with him in the past and we are looking for him all over Lahore and across the rest of Pakistan because he could be anywhere.’
‘But it is a mystery to us why Zahir has also absconded and we are also looking for him because he will be able to provide us with a lot of information as to what actually happened.
‘If he is innocent, then we don’t understand why he has gone missing. But I can promise you, we will find both men.’
A post-mortem report revealed that Ms Zulfiquar bled to death in her bedroom after being shot in the neck and arm in the early hours of Monday morning.
A family source claimed Ms Zulfiquar and Jadoon got engaged after she arrived in Pakistan and that she had reported Butt (pictured) to police for harassing her on three occasions
Zahir Jadoon, had rented the house (above) where she was killed so they could spend time there away from her family, police confirmed to MailOnline
Ms Zulfiquar, originally from Feltham in south west London, also had bruising on her right hand and left foot, according to the report.
Police revealed that her body was discovered by a maid who raised the alarm.
Butt is from Lahore while Jadoon is from Islamabad, which is about two hours away.
A family source claimed that Ms Zulfiquar and Jadoon had got engaged soon after she arrived in Pakistan two months ago and that she had reported Butt to police for harassing her on three occasions.
She was initially living with her grandmother in Lahore but started spending more time at with Jadoon at the house he rented with Butt, who knew them both, also visiting regularly.
Superintendent Ali said: ‘We cannot confirm if we have any previous reports from Mayra claiming to have been harassed by Butt. But we believe that she was in dispute with him and that this could have led to the murder.’
Ms Zulfiquar’s parents flew to London just hours after receiving news about her murder and her funeral is already believed to have taken place within 24 hours of her death in keeping with Islamic tradition.
Family sources told MailOnline that she decided to remain in Pakistan because she did not want to pay to £1,750 to quarantine if she returned to the UK.
She travelled to Pakistan two months ago with her mother Tabasaam to attend a cousin’s wedding but decided to stay in the country after it was placed on the coronavirus red list.
A post-mortem report revealed that Ms Zulfiquar (pictured) bled to death in her bedroom after being shot in the neck and arm in the early hours of Monday morning
Ms Zulfiquar’s parents flew to London hours after receiving news about her murder and her funeral is already believed to have taken place within 24 hours of her death
Her mother rearranged her flight so that she could get back to the family home just days before Pakistan was placed on the red list.
But Ms Zulfiquar had complained to relatives about the cost of the ten-day quarantine in Britain saying that she preferred to sit it out in Pakistan in the hope that it would be removed from the red list next month.
A family source said: ‘She didn’t want to come back and pay all that money to quarantine in Britain so decided to stay in Lahore, where she was living with her grandmother.
‘She was angry that it was too much money for ten days in a grotty hotel. Instead, she thought she’d have more fun in Lahore and was having a lovely time after making a new group of friends.’
Ms Zulfiquar, who studied law at the University of West London had ambitions to run her own law firm and had completed an internship at a legal company in Dubai before travelling to Pakistan.
