Rome:

Italy’s justice minister said on Thursday that a man wanted for the murder of his 18-year-old daughter has been extradited from Pakistan to Italy, where he will face trial.

Shabbar Abbas was arrested from his village in Punjab last November on suspicion of murdering his daughter Saman Abbas, who went missing after refusing to go to Pakistan for an arranged marriage in April 2021.

Justice Minister Carlo Nordio said in a statement, “This is a step forward to allow justice to do its full work after a terrible crime.” He said the suspect was on his way to Italy.

The teenage victim was identified from dental records after human remains were found near her family’s home in the northern Italian town of Novellara more than a year after she went missing.

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Prosecutors believe the family became enraged when they learned Abbas had a lover in Italy.

They allege she was murdered when she returned to the family home to collect some documents after living nearby for a while under the care of social services.

The father has denied that his daughter has died. Her uncle was extradited from France to face trial along with two of her cousins.