Mayra Zulfiqar shooting: Police had been warned before killing

A London woman killed in Pakistan had warned police in Lahore her life was in danger less than two weeks before her murder, the BBC has learned.

Mayra Zulfiqar, 24, was found in a pool of blood in a flat on Monday.

Thirteen days earlier, she had asked police for protection after accusing a man of abducting her at gunpoint.

The law graduate had been threatened by two men who both wanted to marry her, according to legal documents seen by the BBC.

Pakistani police are conducting a murder inquiry and so far no formal arrests have been made.

Forensic investigations are continuing and it is understood a number of interrogations have been conducted.

'I will kill you'

In a police report filed on 20 April, Ms Zulfiqar named and accused a man of abducting her at gunpoint and attempting to sexually assault her a few days earlier.

She said she managed to run away by alerting bystanders, but the man threatened her, saying "you won't be able to escape, I will kill you."

Residents in the upmarket street where Ms Zulfiqar was renting the upper portion of a house, said police had previously visited the area looking for CCTV of a car involved in the alleged abduction.

A neighbour, talking on condition of anonymity, told the BBC that loud arguments could often be heard from the property, and that on one occasion men brandishing knives had been seen threatening Ms Zulfiqar from the street.

Police would not respond to requests for comment on the report.

Family handout

On Monday morning a maid working in the house called the emergency services after discovering Ms Zulfiqar's body.

She had been shot twice, and police believe she may have also been strangled.

Residents described hearing shouts in the early hours of the morning.

Ms Zulfiqar had arrived in Pakistan with her parents about two months ago to attend a family wedding.

But when they returned to the UK, she decided to stay on in the country.

BBC Material

Ms Zulfiqar's funeral was held in Lahore on Tuesday, attended by her father, who had travelled back to the city.

Prayers for the law graduate were also offered near the family home in West London.

Ms Zulfiqar was a Belgian national living in London, according to the UK Foreign Office, which has referred her family to Belgian consular services.

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May 06, 2021 at 10:14PM
By Secunder Kermani & Usman Zahid
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-london-57007347