Man arrested for Lyari murders

Police say suspect was angry at mother for causing his divorce

KARACHI:

The police arrested the suspect involved in the murder of four women in the Lyari area of Lee Market and recovered the murder weapon.

SSP City Arif Aziz, during a press conference at his office on Sunday evening, stated that the suspect, Bilal Kutchi, is the real son the victim Shamshad Farooq.

Quoting the initial investigations, the SSP said that the suspect had bought a sharp knife 15 days before the incident and hidden it in the house.

SSP Aziz said that according to Bilal, he was angry at his mother because she had made him divorce his wife. Bilal had left his home and moved to another place but had started visiting his home again for the past 15 days. On the night of the 17th and 18th, Bilal took advantage of the opportunity and first killed his mother, then his sister, sister-in-law and niece by slitting their throats with the knife, and fled the scene with the murder weapon.

The SSP City further stated that bloodstains were found on the suspect's hands and his clothes were also stained with blood. "All evidence has been collected, and we have a lot of incriminating evidence. The suspect will not be able to escape punishment."

An FIR has been registered based on the complaint filed by the father, Muhammad Farooq Kutchi, in which Bilal is named as the suspect. The SSP City,Chief Minister, Murad Ali Shah, and Interior Minister Zia Lanjar had taken notice of the incident.

A case of murder of four women at an apartment on the Bantwa Street of the Lea Market of Lyari has been registered on the complaint from the head of the household Muhammad Farooq Kutchi.

The complainant's son-in-law stated that they had suspected from the beginning that Frooq's son Bilal Kutchi had committed the murders. He refuted Bilal's claims that the women were making TikTok videos and spreading obscenity, calling those allegations false.

Earlier on Sunday, police had taken Bilal into custody for questioning, but did not formally arrest him. However, later in the evening, he was arrested and the SSP city made the announcement to the media.

According to the FIR, Muhammad Farooq Kutchi informed the police that he, his 60-year-old wife Shamshad, his divorced daughter Madiha, his son Samir Ali, daughter-in-law Ayesha, their three-month-old daughter, and 12-year-old granddaughter Alina were all living in the appartment.

On the night of October 18, Farooq said he was going to drop his daughter Samina to her house in Jubliee Market area. She told me that Bilal, who lives separately, had come home.

Farooq said returned home at 3:30am on October 19 after dropping off his daughter. When he knocked on the door and received no answer, he used his key to enter. To his horror, he found his daughter Madiha lying on the floor in a pool of blood. Yelling hysterically, Farooq called neighbour Hafeez and also phoned his other son Sameer to rush home.

Inside the house, his daughter-in-law Ayesha was also found dead and her three-month-old daughter was discovered beneath the bed. Farooq's wife Shamshad was found dead in the TV lounge, while granddaughter Alina lay dead in another room, all with their throats slit by a sharp instrument.

Farooq said that Sameer called the police helpline 15 and went to the police station with friends. Meanwhile, other relatives and the police crime scene unit arrived, and the bodies were shifted to the civil hospital. Bilal also came at the scene and had fresh cuts on his arms and fingers but did not provide a satisfactory explanation. The police took legal action and moved the bodies to the mortuary.

Farooq stated in the FIR that he believes that unidentified assailants had killed the women of his family with a sharp instrument. He called for justice and legal action from the authorities.

Nevertheless, it turned out that his own son was the main suspect of the killings.

Before receiving the bodies from the mortuary, Muhammad Mossadaq, the elder son-in-law, claimed that evidence suggested that Bilal was involved in this tragic incident. Mossadeq praised the police for their cooperation and swift progress in the investigation. He said that investigation will also reveal why Bilal took this step and emphasised that Bilal's accusations against the women for spreading promiscuity by making TikTok videos were unfounded.