Islamabad, Pakistan (AHN)-A court official says Pakistan's Supreme Court has ordered an inquiry into the case of a man who spent three years in jail for a murder that never happened.

The woman Malik Taj Mohammad was convicted of kidnapping and killing was arrested for theft two years ago and is serving a jail sentence in the eastern city of Gujarat.

The woman, Malkani Bibi, was said to have been murdered during a property dispute between relatives, although Taj had maintained that his accusers had performed a mock burial.

Court official Nisar Ahmed tells Reuters, "This woman was presented in court and the chief justice has ordered a lower court judge to conduct a probe, fix responsibility and provide compensation to Taj," adding that, "On details provided by him, the police located Malkani in jail and produced her before the court."