Body found in drain identified as schoolteacher

The body of a woman found in a stormwater drain near Bhoosa Godown in the Ratta Amral area of Rawalpindi was identified as that of a schoolteacher on Thursday.

Anum Bashir had booked an online cab to go to work on Wednesday. The vehicle was later found in a deteriorated condition near a stormwater drain in Westridge, while the cab driver remains missing.

Originally from Mandi Bahauddin's Malakwal area, Anum was currently living in Rawalpindi's Afshan Colony. She worked as a teacher at a private school. Her family identified the body at the hospital but declined to pursue any legal action or request a post-mortem, claiming it to be an accident.

Preliminary police investigations revealed that Anum had booked an online ride to reach her workplace in Islamabad. However, due to heavy rainfall on Wednesday morning, water from the nearby storm drain had flooded Lane 4 of Range Road. It is believed the car got trapped in the water and was swept away.

Later, Anum's body was found near the Bhosa Godown stormwater drain. Local residents who spotted the body informed the authorities, and it was retrieved and transported to the hospital by Rescue 1122.

The cab she had booked was found stuck in a narrow lane near the drain in the Westridge area, in a poor condition. The driver, identified as Hasnain, is still missing.

The police traced the car's ownership through its registration and contacted the owners, who confirmed that Hasnain had been driving the vehicle as a cab.

Officials at Ratta Amral Police Station, in whose jurisdiction the body was found, confirmed that the body has been handed over to the family.

Meanwhile, Westridge police — under whose area the vehicle and driver went missing — stated that efforts to locate Hasnain were ongoing, but no progress had been made so far. Investigations are underway.