Cook poisons 22 after feud

The police have arrested a cook accused of poisoning to death 22 people as part of a political feud between two branches of his family,a local police chief said.

The incident in Mailsi,Punjab,followed recent polls in which Arsal Khan Khichi lost to his cousin Jehanzaeb Khan,said police chief Sadiq Dogar. Arsal paid pay a cook,Mohammad Rafiq,50,000 rupees to poison food at his rivals home on June 9. Nearly 50 people took ill and 22 died. Jehanzeb was not home then,Dogar said. Rafiq has confessed to his crime while Arsal is on the run,Dogar said.