Victims tortured to death before being thrown into a man pit; police are awaiting lab reports as the investigation continues
KARACHI:
The four bodies found dumped in a manhole near Mai Kolachi Road level crossing on Friday evening have been identified as a woman, her daughter and two sons.
The family from Kharadar went missing on December 30. The bodies, initially unidentified, were recovered from a dry man-hole and later identified by the woman’s brother.
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 District Keamari, Mahzooz Ali, the deceased include 38-year-old Aneela, her 13-year-old daughter Kishwar Zahra and her sons, 15-year-old Hussain Ali and 10-year-old Konain Ali.
Preliminary investigations suggest that Aneela was previously married to Amir Mukhtar Ali, who divorced her. The police are also questioning a man named Mansoor, who allegedly had a connection with the deceased.
The gruesome discovery led to an immediate autopsy. Police surgeon Dr. Summaiya Syed confirmed that samples from the bodies have been sent to the laboratory to determine the exact cause of death, including tests for drugs and possible sexual assault.
The examinations revealed serious injuries; 15-year-old Hussain had multiple head, face and neck injuries; 10-year-old Konain’s throat was cut; Kishwar suffered similar head and facial injuries; while Aneela had severe skull and facial injuries.
Read more: Four bodies were recovered from the manhole
Aneela’s brother, Mustafa, said she was their only sister. He learned about the deaths after seeing pictures of the bodies circulating on social media. Mustafa said Aneela had divorced two and a half years ago, but the children had been living with her.
He added that the family owns some rental properties whose rent they used to give to Aneela while the children attended school and religious classes.
He said he visited his sister’s home on December 30 and found it locked; later that night he returned and the house was still locked. The last time he spoke to Aneela on the phone was almost a week and her phone had been switched off since December 30.
He stressed that the family has no known enemies and called on the 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 hide the crime. Announcements were made in all mosques within the Docks police limits, but no one attended. The victims may have been from other areas. The police suspect that they were either abducted and killed elsewhere or murdered in their residence before being thrown into the manhole.
The recovered bodies were initially taken to the Civil Hospital for formalities and later transferred to the Edhi Mortuary in Sohrab Goth. Police are examining CCTV footage from the woman’s residence and pursuing several leads to reach suspects.
Following the incident, Sindh Chief Minister Murad Ali Shah directed the authorities to conduct a thorough investigation and submit a report without delay. Assuring that his government would ensure justice for the victims’ families, CM Shah stressed that the protection of citizens’ lives and property remains the government’s prime responsibility.
