The Vanishing of Rida Khan: A Real-Life Crime That Shook Lahore

On the humid evening of July 18, 2022, 23-year-old Rida Khan, a final-year psychology student at Punjab University, left her hostel in Lahore for a quick trip to a nearby supermarket. She never returned.

Initially, her disappearance seemed like just another case of a runaway girl. Even the police hesitated to register an FIR, claiming “she must have gone to a friend’s place.” But Rida’s roommate and close friend, Mehak, insisted otherwise. “She had an important seminar the next day. She wouldn’t vanish like this,” Mehak told the local media, her eyes swollen from sleepless nights.

Three days passed with no sign of Rida. Her phone was switched off. CCTV footage from the market revealed a crucial lead — Rida was seen getting into a white Toyota Corolla with tinted windows around 7:52 PM.

The case caught the attention of a local crime reporter, Tariq Mehmood, who published an article titled "Where is Rida Khan?" The headline went viral. Public pressure mounted. Eventually, the Lahore Police’s Crime Investigation Agency (CIA) took over the case.


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The Investigation Begins

Detectives began analyzing CCTV footage throughout the city. They identified the car’s license plate: LEA-0932. The car was registered to a Shahid Bashir, a 42-year-old businessman who ran a chain of mobile shops in Anarkali Bazaar.

When police visited his residence, they found something odd — Shahid had left the city the very next day after Rida’s disappearance. He told his wife he was going to Karachi for a business meeting but never reached.

Through call data records, investigators discovered Shahid’s phone had last pinged in Okara, a city 120 km away. A deeper probe revealed Shahid had a history of harassment complaints by female employees in his shops — none of which had been taken seriously until now.

Rida’s parents were devastated. Her father, Iqbal Khan, a retired railway officer, told reporters, “I gave my daughter the freedom to study and dream. I never thought the city would eat her alive.”


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A Breakthrough

Ten days after the disappearance, Shahid’s car was found abandoned near a canal outside Kasur. Forensics uncovered hair strands, a broken earring, and traces of blood on the backseat.

DNA tests confirmed the blood belonged to Rida.

The public erupted in outrage. Candlelight vigils were held. The hashtag #JusticeForRida trended on Pakistani Twitter for days. News anchors debated the negligence of law enforcement in such cases. The Chief Minister Punjab announced a special task force.

Using mobile triangulation, the police finally tracked Shahid Bashir to a guest house in Multan, where he had registered under a fake identity.

On August 3, 2022, he was arrested.


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The Truth Unfolds

Under interrogation, Shahid at first denied everything. But when confronted with the CCTV footage, DNA evidence, and car records, he broke down.

He confessed:

> “I didn’t plan to harm her. I offered her a ride that day, thinking she looked distressed. But when she recognized me from the university workshops we had sponsored and said she’d report me for past harassment... I panicked. I slapped her, and she hit her head. She was bleeding... I didn’t mean to kill her.”



Shahid claimed Rida died accidentally and that he dumped her body in the canal near Changa Manga forest. A 14-hour search by divers recovered her body — badly decomposed, weighted down with bricks tied by her own dupatta.

The autopsy revealed signs of blunt trauma, strangulation, and evidence of sexual assault.

His "accidental" claim was a lie.


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The Courtroom Drama

Shahid Bashir was charged with kidnapping, rape, murder, and destruction of evidence. The trial began in October 2022 and lasted six months. Over 25 witnesses were brought forward — including former female employees who testified how he preyed on vulnerable girls.

Mehak, Rida’s roommate, gave a powerful statement in court:

> “She wasn’t just a friend. She was a sister. A future therapist. A light in a dark world. And he extinguished it like it was nothing.”



Shahid’s defense lawyers tried every trick — claiming he was mentally unstable, that the evidence was circumstantial, that Rida had a personal grudge. But the judge wasn’t swayed.


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Justice Served

On April 18, 2023, Shahid Bashir was convicted on all counts and sentenced to death by hanging under Section 302 of the Pakistan Penal Code. He was also fined Rs. 1 million, to be given to Rida’s family as compensation.

As he was led away in handcuffs, the courtroom erupted with claps and tears. Rida’s father stood quietly, a framed photo of his daughter in his hand. “She got justice. But it cost us our entire world.”


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Aftermath

The case sparked a series of reforms in Punjab:

A “Women’s Protection Hotline” was launched.

Police stations were instructed to register all missing women’s complaints within 24 hours.

Punjab University introduced self-defense workshops for female students.

A new bill called “Rida’s Law” was proposed to monitor individuals with a past record of harassment and prevent them from running businesses near educational institutions.


Rida’s mother, Shamim Bibi, now runs a small NGO helping victims of harassment and abuse. “My daughter’s story should not repeat. I will not let her death be forgotten.”


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Final Words

Rida Khan’s murder was not just another crime. It became a symbol of resistance, a wake-up call to a society that often silences its daughters in the name of “honor,” “shame,” or “fear.”

But this time, the criminal was caught.And justice, though delayed, was not denied.