Man, sons slaughter 11 family members in Pano Aqil

Suspects confess to slitting throats of 11 persons including two pregnant women and eight children

HYDERABAD:

In a grisly multiple homicide, 11 members of a family, including two pregnant women and eight children, were found with their throats slit in Muhammad Salah Indhar village, Pano Aqil, on Wednesday.

The head of the family, Wahabullah Indhar, who is reportedly mentally ill, was arrested along with his four sons, Kaleem, Habibullah, Dur Muhammad and Hizbullah, on suspicion of their involvement in the murder.

"The throats of all the slain persons were slit with a dagger," Sukkur SSP Irfan Samo told the media, adding that the murder weapon had been recovered from the house where they were killed, which lies in the limits of the Cantt police station. The dagger is of a type normally used for slaughtering livestock.

The arrested men, including Habibullah whose wife and two children were among those murdered, had fled from their home and were later rounded up in Adilpur.

"The man and his sons are all involved in the murders," stated the SSP, adding that they had confessed to the crime during initial interrogation.

Samo said Indhar and Kaleem had killed the victims with the assistance of three other sons. Meanwhile, one of his younger sons, Majid, told the police that Indhar had attempted to kill him as well but he told Indhar he would act according to his wishes and thus survived.

The SSP added that according to Majid, Wahabullah claimed he had received orders by the will of the Almighty that they must kill the victims or face wrath.

According to Wahabullah's statement, however, he had killed his family members as a result of the trauma he suffered after a fight with his brothers.

The victims included Indhar's wife Rukaiya, daughters Iqra, 18, Isra, 8, Suraiya, 6, and Hajani, 5, along with his daughter-in-law Naseema, 19, as well as his sons Mehmood Asad, 4, Mehmoodul Hassan, 3, and Muhammad Shayan, 1, and grandchildren Nazia, 3, and Ali Sher, 1. Both Rukaiya and Naseema were pregnant.

Six of the bodies were found lying on three charpoys in one room, while five were found in another room. The bodies were shifted to the Pano Aqil taluka hospital and handed over to the family after post-mortems.

A health official from Pano Aqil taluka hospital, requesting anonymity, confirmed that the throats of all the victims. He added that it was too early to establish whether they had been given sedatives prior to their murder.

Area residents claimed that one of the deceased had called the police a day or so before the incident, reporting that they were fearful Indhar might kill them. While some policemen had visited the house, Indhar's sons forced them to leave.

Neighbours told the police they entered the house after noticing there was complete silence inside and no one coming out. They added that they saw the bodies when they went in and immediately called the police.

Indhar had allegedly killed his brother a few years ago as well and was later admitted to Sir Cowasjee Jehangir Institute of Psychiatry in Hyderabad for treatment. He was released from the hospital some months ago.

Inquiry ordered

Taking notice of the incident, Sindh Chief Minister Murad Shah ordered the provincial inspector general of police to submit a detailed report on the incident.

“What was the cause of the incident?” the CM inquired. “Was it due to domestic problems or a family feud? The matter should be investigated from every angle.”

He also directed the authorities concerned to fully cooperate with the affected family members.

(With additional input from Hafeez Tunio from Karachi)