Canadian cops rule out 'foul play' in Karima Baloch's death

The Toronto police on Wednesday ruled out any 'foul play' in the death of Baloch human rights activist Karima Baloch, terming it "non-criminal death".

Karima Baloch — also known as Karima Mehrab — was found dead in Canada's Toronto Monday night.

According to police, she was last seen in the Bay Street, Queens Quay West area of the city at 3pm on Sunday. Her family then proceeded to file a missing person complaint at the police station.

Authorities had circulated Karima’s pictures and details of her appearance on their website and appealed to people to reach out if they had any information.

Her family announced Monday night that the 37-year-old had been found dead.

The Toronto police, on its official Twitter handle, said that it was aware of the heightened community and media interest surrounding the missing person investigation of the Baloch activist.

"The circumstances have been investigated and officers have determined this to be a non-criminal death and no foul play is suspected," it said, adding that the family of the deceased has been updated.

Karima Baloch was living in exile in Toronto and campaigned extensively against disappearances and human rights violations in Balochistan.

Back in 2016, she was named on BBC’s list of 100 inspirational women. At the age of 30, she was the first woman to become the leader of the Balochistan Student Organisation.

Karima then moved to Canada after seeking asylum.

In 2015, terrorism charges were filed against her with her family claiming that she was at receiving end of death threats.

“The death of activist Karima Baloch in Toronto, Canada is deeply shocking and must be immediately and effectively investigated. The perpetrators must be brought to justice without recourse to the death penalty,” Amnesty International South Asia said in a tweet.