Pakistani Man Kills 10 Relatives Over Marriage Proposal Dispute

Police in Pakistan's Peshawar region are saying that a man recently killed 10 family members after being denied a marriage proposal.

Gul Ahmed Said is suspected of killing his uncle, aunt, four male cousins and four female cousins in the early hours of this past Sunday in the Charsadda District of the Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa Province. Said reportedly entered his uncle's home at around 3:30 a.m. and shot all of the victims in the face and head.

Among the female victims was the woman Said reportedly wanted to marry. Local Peshawar police believe the suspect also killed his parents and two brothers five months earlier after he was told he would have to wait to marry his cousin until his parents could build a spare room to accommodate the couple.

"There was a dispute over a marriage proposal," Shafiullah Khan, senior superintendent of police of Charsadda, told The New York Times.

"Mr. Said could not wait and opened fire on his family, killing his parents and two brothers," Khan added to the media outlet.

Said reportedly fled the scene of the crime this past weekend, and continues to be on the lam from police. The suspect had successfully hid from authorities for five months after killing his parents and brothers.

The 25-year-old suspect reportedly targeted his uncle's family after his uncle expressed hesitation about his marriage to his cousin.

"The uncle was being very indecisive about the wedding which infuriated Gul Ahmad," police officer Mohammad Jamil told Reuters.

Jamil added that police believe Said may have fled to the semi-autonomous tribal region of Pashtun.

"We cannot follow anyone there since it is beyond our jurisdiction, and our security would be threatened," said Jamil.