MANSEHRA: A man killed his stepdaughter for honour and then buried her body secretly to hide his crime in Soray Asharay area of Torghar district in the early hours on Sunday, the police said.

`A team led by SHO rushed to the scene after a man allegedly killed his stepdaughter suspecting her of having relations with a man,` district police officer Bilal Ahmad told reporters.

He said the accused, according to the preliminary investigation, after spotting his 20-year-old stepdaughter with a local man, opened fired, leaving her dead. The other man remained unhurt and managed to escape.

He said the police were searching for the accused, who had got married to the slain girl`s mother after her husband died some years ago.

The police lodged an FIR under section 302 of PPC on the complaint ofthe girl`s grandfather.

Meanwhile, the Human Rights Commission of Pakistan`s local representative Zahid Khan said the killing was latest in a series of murders perpetrated in the garb of deadly `chor` custom that prevailed in the erstwhile tribal belt of Mansehra.

`In such gruesome incidents, where a woman or girl is killed for honour, her funeral prayer is not offered and she is buried secretly,` he said.

Mr Khan feared the man, who had managed to flee from the scene of the murder, would also be killed anytime under the custom.

`We cannot exactly say if the man and the slain girl were spotted together by inmates at the latter`s residence,` he said.

ROAD ACCIDENT: Seven people, including three women, sustained critical injuries when a van skidded off the road and plunged into theSiren River in Shinkiari area here on Sunday.

The van carrying passengers was on way to Shinldari from Schain area when the driver lost control over the steering while negotiating a sharp turn. The locals rushed the injured to the Civil Hospital in Shinkiari, wherefrom four of them in critical condition were referred to Ayub Medical Complex Hospital in Abbottabad.

HOUSE GUTTED: A house was gutted on Sunday in Jullo area here on Sunday, a rescue official said, adding the fire also destroyed household goods, cash and gold ornaments.

Rescue 1122 firefighters put out the fire after hectic efforts of two hours.

The official said an electric shortcircuit caused the fire.

Mohammad Yusuf, the house owner, said his family was rescued to a nearby place by locals as the raging flames engulfed his house. Correspondent