Woman, three children found hanging in Karachi home; husband detained

Police probe suspected murder staged as suicide in Sohrab Goth family deaths

KARACHI:

A woman and three children were found hanging inside their home near Gunah Mandi in Karachi’s Sohrab Goth area on Sunday, police said.

The woman’s husband was taken into custody for questioning.

Police identified the deceased as 35-year-old Fatima, 11-year-old Sonam, 3-year-old Arzoo and 2-year-old Arman.

Fatima and Sonam were found hanging together in the centre of the house. Arzoo and Arman were found separately suspended from the ceiling on either side of the residence.

According to police, Fatima was an Afghan national and the second wife of Najibullah, a vegetable market worker originally from Punjab.

Arzoo and Arman were Fatima’s children. Sonam and Najibullah’s 12-year-old son are from his first marriage.

Senior Superintendent of Police East Zubair Nazeer said Najibullah left home before dawn with his 12-year-old son to go to the vegetable market. He returned home in the afternoon and found the bodies, Nazeer said. He then contacted police.

A forensic team and the Crime Scene Unit were called to the scene to collect evidence.

Najibullah was taken into custody for questioning, police said.

SSP Nazeer said no visible signs of resistance or injury were found on the bodies. However, he said police could not yet determine whether the deaths were a murder or a suicide.

Police officers who visited the scene believe the positioning of the bodies suggests a planned murder made to look like suicide. SSP Nazeer said the couple had argued a few days earlier.

He said Najibullah’s first wife wanted to return to him, which had caused tension between the spouses.

Sindh Home Minister Zia-ul-Hassan Lanjar has taken notice of the incident.

He contacted SSP Nazeer and directed police to conduct a transparent investigation to determine the motive behind the deaths. SSP Nazeer told the minister that all aspects of the case are being examined.

He said further facts would emerge after the post-mortem and forensic reports are completed.