Relatives Fatally Strangle, Shoot Sisters For Honor After Refusing To Take Husbands To Spain

Six men from the same family have been arrested for allegedly strangling and shooting two sisters to death in a village in Pakistan.

The Pakistani-origin sisters, identified as Urooj Abbas, 21, and Anisa Abbas, 23, both had Spanish citizenship. They were allegedly killed Friday night for refusing to take their husbands with them to Spain.

The two women were forcefully married to their cousins about a year ago. They were living in Spain when their relatives forced them to return with their mother to Gujrat in the Punjab province of Pakistan, AP News reported.

The victims' brother, a paternal uncle, both husbands, a cousin and both fathers-in-law were charged in connection with the deaths. Cops are also on the lookout for two unknown suspects, who are also facing charges.

Pakistani police said the two sisters were allegedly killed for not complying with their relatives' wishes after they were forcefully married within the family, which is common practice among conservative families in rural Pakistan.

Cops also said the two sisters wanted to divorce their husbands and marry other men in Spain. Their relatives then managed to trick the two women into returning to Pakistan with their mother.

"The family created a story to convince them to come to Pakistan for a couple of days," a police spokesperson said, according to LatestLY.

Following their return to Pakistan Thursday, family members forced the sisters to sign papers that would allow their husbands to emigrate to Spain. However, a bitter argument broke out after the sisters refused to sign the papers. They were allegedly strangled and shot dead Friday.

"Preliminary investigations show this is a case of honor killing, but it is still developing and the investigation is ongoing," the police spokesperson said, as per the outlet.

The victims' mother said she tried to protect her daughters but was locked up in another room during the killings.

The Human Rights Commission of Pakistan said more than 450 honor killings took place last year, according to The Print. Women have reportedly been shot, stabbed, stoned, set ablaze or strangled for disgracing their family's "honor" or refusing to comply with the demands of elder relatives in the family.