Five of a family, including three kids, found dead in Karachi flat
Five family members found dead
A family of five, including a husband, wife and three children, was found dead inside a flat in Karachi’s Ahsanabad area. Police said the bodies appeared to be several days old and suicide was initially suspected.
Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP) East Zubair Nazir Sheikh said the bodies were found in a single room on the seventh floor. The flat’s door was locked from the inside when police arrived.
Police investigate multiple angles
The deceased man, identified as Dr Umar, was a doctor and the family’s sole provider. Police said the bodies were shifted to Abbasi Shaheed Hospital after legal formalities were completed.
“The actual cause of death will only be determined after the postmortem,” the SSP said. He added that investigators were examining different possibilities to establish the identities and full circumstances surrounding the deaths.
Financial difficulties emerge
A neighbour told police that Dr Umar had been unemployed for a considerable period after his clinic closed. He had recently secured a job at East City Hospital, according to the neighbour.
Police later said Dr Umar had resigned from a private hospital on September 13 after being diagnosed with cancer. Investigators also said no mobile phone was found inside the apartment during their search.
Neighbour alerts police after strong smell
Police said Dr Umar’s wife had tried to sell the family’s oven the previous week. A neighbour did not purchase it but gave the family Rs2,000 as financial assistance.
The neighbour, Kamran, later contacted police through the Madadgar 15 helpline after noticing a strong and unbearable smell coming from the apartment. He said the doctor and his children had not been seen for several days.
Kamran described Dr Umar as a decent person who worked at a private hospital. He also told journalists that Dr Umar had allegedly been robbed several days earlier and that the robbers took his salary and other belongings.
Officials order detailed investigation
Sindh Home Minister Zia-ul-Hassan Lanjar sought details from SSP East and directed him to provide information about the initial police actions. He also called for an effective investigation and said its conclusions should be made public.
The Sindh Inspector General of Police also sought a detailed report from SSP East. He directed officers to conduct the investigation transparently and impartially and complete it swiftly on the basis of evidence.
The deaths have raised several questions about what happened inside the flat. Police are awaiting postmortem findings and continuing their investigation before determining the actual cause of death.
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