Mystery shrouds murder of woman, kids

Suspect had been having some visions for some time, and he reportedly ‘sacrificed’ his family

LODHRAN:

A man allegedly killed his wife and three teenage children in Gulshan Madina Colony of Lodhran.

The suspect, Saghar Abbas, surrendered before the police.

According to police sources, the victims were killed about a week ago.

The stench emanating from the house alerted the neighbours who immediately informed the police.

The SDPO and the SHO of Saddar City Police Station reached the crime scene.

They found three bodies lying in the ground floor of the house and the fourth in the first floor.

Police sealed the area.

The deceased were identified as Ruqaiya Bibi, her daughter, Ghous Fatima, and sons Anas and Fawad.

A 14-year-old son of the alleged murderer, however, survived the killings. Police had taken the teenager under their protection.

The motive behind the murder could not yet been known, nor did the police manage to find the weapon used in the crime.

Some sources told The Express Tribune that the alleged killer used to have some visions and he acted out of those visions.

The survivor had reportedly told the police that his father had told him that his mother and siblings would come back to life again soon, and that what he had done was part of a sacrifice.

Sources quoted the suspect as having told them in the past that the visions that he had had given him supernatural powers so much so that he touched a live electric wire and yet nothing happened to him.

Police said the suspect had sprayed the bodies with some very strong scented powder to conceal the stench.

Neighbours said that the suspect had been living here for the last eight months after arriving from Jalalpur Pirwala. He was said to have bought the house for Rs8.5 million.

His 18-year-old daughter had passed her matric exams.

A large number of local people and local police were present at the scene which gave a very eerie look.

Police had the bodies shifted to the DHQ Hospital for postmortem.

However, the postmortem procedure did not start till the filing of this report due to some delay in completing legal formalities by the police.

The medical superintendent at the hospital said that the autopsy would begin as soon as necessary documents for the procedure were received from the police.

Published in The Express Tribune, February 27^th, 2023.