Russian inmates behind Pakistani warder murder cannot be deported over trial - Prison Head

The Russian Foreign Ministry said on Thursday that the incident happened on Tuesday in the Gadani Central Jail, located in the Balochistan province. The ministry said the three Russian women supported the Islamic State terror group (banned in Russia) and were detained in 2018 for illegally crossing the Iranian-Pakistani border alongside eight minor children. Dawn has reported, citing police, that the three Russian women had acknowledged their involvement in the warder killing. Gadani Central Jail superintendent Shakeel Baloch told the Dawn news outlet that the women were waiting to be deported to Russia in the jail.

"However, now they can’t be deported as they are facing a murder trial," the prison head told Dawn.

Baloch added that the jail administration had notified the Russian consulate in the city of Karachi about the incident.

The jail superintendent noted the reason behind the killing had been unknown, adding that the women had never shown violent behavior before. The police were interrogating the suspects, the jail head added.

Dawn also reported, citing the hospital where the killed prison guard was brought, that warder Zoya Yahya, 23, had been hit in her head and subsequently strangled to death.