Bodies of two minor brothers found near New Karachi Industrial Area

The brothers were reported missing a week ago, two arrested

KARACHI: The bodies of two missing minor brothers were found on Friday in a graveyard pit in Siddiqabad No6, New Karachi Industrial Area. The deceased appeared to have been killed with a sharp object used to slit their necks. The bodies were shifted to Abbasi Shaheed Hospital for medico-legal formalities and identified as Ali Raza, 10, and Azaan, 8. They had been killed around a week ago.

The brothers were residents of New Karachi No5, Sector D-11. According to the father, Muhammad Ilyas, the deceased were killed by two of the family's acquaintances who have been arrested by the police.

A case was registered on October 22 on behalf of the victims' father stating that the boys had been kidnapped. The suspects nominated in the case were arrested by the police soon after.

Speaking to the media, the father, Muhammad Ilyas, said that Ali Raza was the eldest and Azan was the second of five siblings. Ilyas said that the boys were identified by the clothes they were wearing as they had been killed around a week ago and the bodies had begun to decompose.

The aggrieved father said that his sons had been playing outside the house when they went missing on October 20. The family searched everywhere before approaching the police and then staged a protest outside New Karachi Police Station which compelled the police to register the case.

Ilyas nominated two of his acquaintances, Rafiq Hussain alias Sona, and his brother, Nafis Hussain alias Sunni. Both the suspects are the brothers of his wife's first husband who died of electrocution eleven years ago.

According to Ilyas, both the suspects had visited his house on October 22. When the family began the search for the missing children Rafiq was still present at the house while Nafis had left and his mobile phone was switched off.

Rafiq maintained ignorance on the children's whereabouts and said that Nafis had gone to Golimar. A cousin of the deceased who was playing with them before they went missing identified Nafis as the man who took the boys with him.

Ilyas said that Nafis was arrested from Golimar and confessed to killing the children to avenge the death of their brother.

According to Ilyas, the suspects alleged that his wife killed their brother by giving him water after he was electrocuted.

Published in The Express Tribune, October 27^th, 2019.