Kriti Mehrotra
The May 2021 disappearance of Saman Abbas in the rural area of Novellara, Italy, kept the entire nation on edge for a long time owing to the criminality involved. The authorities suspected foul play from her family’s side early on, yet it wasn’t until years later that surveillance footage and witness testimony helped secure some much-needed justice. As explored in HBO Max’s ‘Saman: The Hidden Truth,’ 5 individuals were ultimately arrested, tried, and convicted of her homicide, including her cousins Noman Ul Haq and Ijaz Ikram.
Noman Ul Haq and Ijaz Ikram Were Active Participants in Saman Abbas’ Murder
Natives of a small village in East Pakistan, Noman Ul Haq and Ijaz Ikram emigrated to Italy with their relative, Danish Hasnain, around the mid-2010s to be seasonal workers on a farm. They didn’t know much about the culture or the language, but they embraced the opportunity as they hoped to secure a better future for themselves and their families. It was their uncle Shabbar Abbas who had first relocated to pursue such a path, eventually bringing along his wife, Nazia Shaheen, their daughter, Saman Abbas, and their son, Ali Haider.
According to the aforementioned original, Shabbar helped his brother immigrate only after his own family had settled, and Danish then chose to be accompanied by Noman and Ijaz. The 7 of them thus resided together in the caretaker’s house provided to them by the farm owner, sharing the space like a tight-knit immediate family and treating one another as such, too. However, things changed in 2021 as a culmination of 18-year-old Saman’s rebellion against her parents’ strict authority and decision to marry her off to an older relative back in Pakistan.
Saman had run away to Belgium the year prior before returning and choosing to live in a youth facility, but she came home in April 2021 in hopes of getting her documents from her parents. As per court records, it was during this period that her family found out about her boyfriend and the fact that she had likely been intimate with him, driving them to do an “honor killing.” It was later ascertained that while Noman and Ijaz didn’t come up with the idea, they also didn’t hesitate to actively be a part of murdering their cousin alongside her parents and uncle.
Noman Ul Haq and Ijaz Ikram Fled Within Days of the Incident
Saman was last seen leaving her home alongside her parents shortly after midnight on May 1, 2021, with her mother walking her to a nearby dark area while her father stood a few feet away. The entire ordeal was captured by surveillance cameras, so it is undeniable that her mother returned without her within moments, before both she and her husband went back inside. It was a little more than 12 hours later that the cameras also captured the couple getting into a taxi – they subsequently went to the airport and returned to Pakistan without informing anyone.
According to records, Saman wasn’t reported missing until a few days later through a tip, and her two cousins were also gone by the time officials arrived at the scene to investigate. Noman and Ijaz were nowhere to be found, prompting them to suspect something was amiss, especially since Danish and Ali then also gave different accounts of when the 18-year-old “left” home. As if that’s not enough, the uncle-nephew duo also suddenly left town without any prior communication, leaving investigators with more questions than answers about what transpired. Ali was soon found with the help of phone and social media tracking, and that’s when the case blew wide open as the then-15-year-old youngster decided to relay everything he had seen.
As per Ali’s account, he was standing in the doorway of the house and hence saw his parents walk his sister to the dark area where his uncle and two cousins were already waiting for her. He added that Danish then put his arm around Saman’s neck from behind before dragging her away, and he, Noman, and Ijaz killed her in the name of honor, which was later corroborated by evidence. It also came to light that the 18-year-old victim had overheard the elders in her family planning an honor killing a few days prior, but she was told the target was someone else when she asked. In the end, under a European warrant, while Ijaz was arrested in Nimes, France, in late May 2021, Noman was taken into custody in Barcelona, Spain, in February 2022.
Noman Ul Haq and Ijaz Ikram Are Incarcerated in an Italian Prison
Both Noman and Izaj were eventually charged with concealment of a corpse and kidnapping, but the third count they faced was different. The former was indicted of aiding and abetting/complicity in premeditated murder, whereas the latter was indicted of premeditated murder. Then, in November 2022, a couple of days after Saman’s father, Shabbar Abbas, was apprehended in Pakistan, Danish agreed to speak with officials and revealed the location of her remains. Therefore, surveillance footage from April 29, 2021, also became crucial in their 2023 trial. After all, it captured Danish, Noman, and Ijaz with shovels, crowbars, bags, axes, etc, in the same area from where the 18-year-old’s remains were ultimately recovered from a deep grave.
At the end of the first trial, while Shabbar, Nazia, and Danish were convicted of Saman’s murder before being sentenced accordingly, Noman and Ijaz were found not guilty. They were consequently ordered to be released, only to be arrested once again in May 2025 after the prosecutors’ appeal was approved and further court proceedings were granted. The Court of Appeals’ verdict came in early July, vehemently overturning Noman and Ijaz’s acquittal while also ascertaining that premeditation was involved in the murder. So, while Shabbar, Nazia, Noman, and Ijaz were sentenced to life in prison, Danish’s initial term of 14 years was increased to 22 years.
In the judgment, Noman and Ijaz were not only pinpointed as willing participants in Saman’s murder but also deemed a potential threat to society. “They placed themselves at the disposal of their relatives to avenge the dishonor brought upon Saman’s family, guilty of having distanced themselves from Muslim religious dictates and Pakistani tradition,” it read, in part. “This situation could arise again, and it is likely that both would respond positively to a request for assistance in committing other serious crimes, driven by the same rationale.” In July 2026, the Supreme Court affirmed this verdict, so Noman and Ijaz remain behind bars in Italy today.
You must be logged in to post a comment.