Copenhagen: Pakistani witnesses disappear

Three witnesses in a sensational murder case have disappeared without a trace. The three men arrived in Copenhagen on Saturday from Pakistan accompanied by two Danish police officers and a translator and took residence at a hotel. On Sunday the witnesses left the hotel, leaving their passport and luggage.

The three witnesses were supposed to be examined in Copenhagen's city court regarding the murder of a 37 year old woman in Pakistan by her 51 year old Danish-Pakistani husband in 1988. But the police have no idea where they are now.

Deputy Police Inspector Niels Larsen says that they don't know where they are. They might have gotten cold feet or used the chance to seek their luck either in Denmark or elsewhere in Europe.

The police are concerned about the witnesses' safety. Larsen says that they are no concrete suspicions but the police would like to know that they are alive and well.

The police had interviewed 15 witnesses in April, when 14 witnesses from Pakistan and one from Italy came to Copenhagen. Then everything had gone as planned. The three new witnesses appeared when Danish police was recently in Pakistan to investigate the murder case. They had come to Copenhagen at the police's expense to be first examined by the police and therefore appear in court.

The state prosecutor hadn't decided yet if the 51 year old will be indicted for the murder.

Source: Jyllands-Posten (Danish)

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