In north-western Pakistan, a 25-year-old man, named Ahmad Shah, was suspected of killing his former fiancée and nine of her relatives for refusing to marry him, police said on Sunday.

Shah was on the run after the attack before dawn in the Charsadda district of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province. To carry out the attack, police said he used an AK-47 rifle.

"He stormed the house and killed all ten family members while they were asleep," district police chief Shafiullah Khan told AFP, adding that two children and four women were among the dead.

The police chief added that Shah was a fugitive wanted for the murder of his parents and two elder brothers last year. His family had refused to accept the demand by the father of his ex-fiancée.

Another police official told AFP that, after murdering members of his own direct family, Shah became enraged at the family of his ex-fiancée for making the demand.

Shah was also the second cousin of his former fiancée.

Marriages in Pakistan are usually arranged between families. Bride's families often demand a large dowry as a form of insurance in case the marriage ends in divorce.

ra/rc (AFP, dpa)