Detectives investigating the death of a 17-year-old Asian girl today arrested five members of her family on suspicion of lying to police.

Shafilea Ahmed, from Warrington, Cheshire, went missing last September and her body was found in the Lake District in January.

She disappeared less than a year after a family trip to Pakistan, during which the teenager drank bleach in an apparent attempt to avoid an arranged marriage.

There has been speculation that the Westernised teenager may have been the victim of a so-called honour killing, where young women are murdered for "bringing shame" on their family.

Her parents, Iftikhar and Farzana, were arrested on suspicion of kidnap, but no charges were brought against either of them. They were not arrested today.

The five people arrested were members of the teenager's extended family, living in Bradford, West Yorkshire.

They include one woman in her 20s, one man in his early 30s, two men in their late 30s and one man in his 60s. All five were taken from Bradford to Cheshire for questioning, and were held on suspicion of conspiracy to pervert the course of justice.

Detective Chief Inspector Geraint Jones, who is leading the Cheshire Constabulary investigation, said: "All they are being questioned about is the alleged lies that they have said. We won't be questioning them in relation to the murder.

"I would suggest they have lied for one of two reasons. Either they know who the killer is and they are covering up, or the simple fact that they don't want us to pry and speak to people that may cause embarrassment.

"If you lie to the police in a murder investigation, you will be arrested and face the consequences."

He added: "They are close family members but not Shafilea's parents. They are very close relatives."

It is still not known how Shafilea died, but detectives are convinced she was murdered. Mr Jones said he was keeping Shafilea's parents updated regarding the investigation and had visited them this morning to inform them of the arrests.

However, when asked if he had ruled them out of any direct involvement in the death of their daughter, he replied: "No."

He rejected claims that the police investigation was stereotyping the Asian community by focusing on the family.

"The investigation has always been an open inquiry," he said.

"We have conducted numerous inquiries and spoken to a lot of people but we can't ignore the fact that Shafilea may have been killed because she didn't conform. That has always been and always will be part of the investigation."

Shafilea’s parents issued a statement through their solicitor, Milton Firman. It said: "Mr and Mrs Ahmed are angry that the police do not appear any closer to finding their daughter’s killer and they are desperate to find out the truth of what happened.

"They are happy for the police to carry out whatever inquiries they like but they are concerned that this is just another effort to get at them, and the police still seem to be concentrating their efforts on the family.

"They are not aware of what their relatives have told the police but they have certainly never asked them to lie on their behalf.

"They would have no reason to do that because they had nothing to do with the death of their daughter and they are more keen than anyone to find out what happened to her."

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