Islamabad [Pakistan] February 4: A female theatre actress cum singer was shot dead by three gunmen after she refused to perform at a private party. The incident took place in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province in Pakistan.

The three men have been identified by the police and are actively being searched for.

The attackers broke into the house of singer Sumbul Khan (25) in Pakistan's Mardan to abduct her to perform for them at a private party. When she refused to go along with them, the armed men opened fire.

The shot at her several times when she resisted, the Independent quoted Pakistan police as saying. They fled the scene after killing her. The singer succumbed to her injuries before reaching the nearby Mardan Medical Complex. Khan's body was handed over to the family after post-mortem.

The police registered a case on the complaint made by actress' grandfather Ameer Bahadar and they have now launched a probe into the incident. Sources said one of the accused, Naeem, was a former employee of police department, while the other, Jehangir, was the former husband of slain Pashto singer Ghazala Javed, reports Khaleej Times.

The singer was well-known for her roles in several Pakistani TV shows, it reported. Khan's death comes just over a year since the murder of actress and dancer Kismat Baig in Lahore.