Victims tortured to death before being thrown into a sewer; Police are awaiting laboratory reports as the investigation continues.
KARACHI:
The four bodies found lying in a manhole near the Mai Kolachi Road railway crossing on Friday night have been identified as a woman, her daughter and two sons.
The family, from Kharadar, disappeared on December 30. The bodies, initially unidentified, were recovered from a dry sewer and later identified by the woman’s brother.
The police have registered a case of murder under section 302/34 of the Pakistan Penal Code against unknown suspects, with the State as the complainant. According to Acting SSP Keamari District Mahzooz Ali, the deceased included Aneela, 38, her daughter Kishwar Zahra, 13, and her sons Hussain Ali, 15, and Konain Ali, 10.
Preliminary investigations suggest that Aneela was previously married to Amir Mukhtar Ali, who divorced her. Police are also questioning a man named Mansoor, who allegedly had a connection with the deceased.
The gruesome discovery prompted immediate autopsies. Police surgeon Dr Summaiya Syed confirmed that samples of the bodies were sent to the laboratory to determine the exact cause of death, including testing for narcotics and possible sexual assault.
Examinations revealed serious injuries; Hussain, 15, suffered multiple injuries to his head, face and neck; Konain, 10, had his throat slit; Kishwar suffered similar head and facial trauma; while Aneela suffered serious injuries to her skull and face.
Read more: Four bodies recovered from a sewer
Aneela’s brother Mustafa said she was his only sister. He learned of the deaths after seeing images of the bodies circulating on social media. Mustafa claimed that Aneela had been divorced two and a half years ago, but that the children lived with her.
He added that the family owns some rental properties, the rent of which they gave to Aneela, while the children attended school and religious classes.
He said he visited his sister’s house on December 30 and found it locked; That same night he returned and the house was still closed. The last time he spoke to Aneela on the phone was almost a week ago and her phone had been switched off since December 30.
He stressed that the family has no known enemies and urged authorities to conduct a thorough investigation to bring the killers to justice.
SHO Docks Nand Lal said the bodies were wrapped in a blanket with large stones placed on top, suggesting an attempt to conceal the crime. Announcements were made at all mosques within Docks police boundaries, but no one turned up. The victims could have been from another area. Police suspect they were kidnapped and murdered elsewhere or murdered at their residence before being thrown into the sewer.
The recovered bodies were initially taken to the Civil Hospital for formalities and later shifted to Edhi mortuary in Sohrab Goth. Police are examining CCTV footage from the woman’s residence and following multiple leads to reach the suspects.
Following the incident, Sindh Chief Minister Murad Ali Shah directed authorities to carry out a thorough investigation and submit a report without delay. CM Shah assured that his government would ensure justice for the families of the victims and emphasized that protection of life and property of citizens remains the prime responsibility of the government.
