Police search for ‘key suspect’ in Delhi Colony murder case

Suspect was woman’s landlord and was caught on tape handing over her son to Edhi

KARACHI: A man suspected to be behind the death of the mother of a four-year-old boy who was 'found abandoned' at Do Darya seven days ago, is said to have been hiding in Sadiqabad, according to the suspect's wife statement.

Sonia, wife of Rizwan Ayaz Khan - the man who handed over the boy, Abdullah, to Edhi Centre in Clifton - has told police that the last time she spoke to her husband was on Wednesday night but she could not confirm where he was, said Adeel Hussain Chandio superintendent of police heading the case investigations.

Body found in Delhi Colony may be mother of child 'found' at Do Darya

Halima, mother of Abdullah, was found dead in Delhi Colony on May 31 after police broke into her house on the complaint of her neighbours, who complained of a foul stench coming from the house. At the time, the two incidents -the child's abandonment and the mother's death - were not interlinked. The connection emerged later when police found out that the man who handed the child over to Edhi was the one who rented the house where the body was found.

According to SP Chandio, Sonia told the police that she knew Halima from Qayyumabad. Halima lived as a tenant in their house and her husband, Chaudhry Iqbal, rarely visited her. A few months ago, Halima left the house and disappeared. She said she does not know if her husband and the deceased woman were romantically involved.

Currently, Khan is the 'key suspect' in the case, as the evidence collected so far shows he has a vital role in the incident, the officer said, adding that nothing can be said as the chemical examination report of the deceased woman is expected in two weeks and will confirm many facts in the case.

The primary investigation officer, SI Munir Qalandari, commented that the case is like a puzzle. "The woman was apparently murdered but we need the chemical examination report to corroborate this fact." Sonia is being questioned and hopefully soon we will trace Khan, he added.



Laid to rest

Meanwhile, Halima was laid to rest in Mawach Goth graveyard by her brother, Muhammad Umar, and Edhi volunteers. Umar suggested that his sister be buried immediately as her body was already decomposed. The initial autopsy performed at Jinnah Postgraduate Medical Centre suggested that she had been dead for around 10 days. The time between the woman's death and her child's recovery has a difference of four to five days.

Published in The Express Tribune, June 3^rd, 2016.