Suspect involved in killing of woman, three children in Surjani Town killed in alleged encounter

Police say he was shot dead after allegedly snatching an ASI’s pistol while being taken to recover the murder weapon

KARACHI:

A suspect arrested for allegedly killing a woman and her three children in Karachi's Surjani Town was killed during an alleged police encounter, police said late on Thursday.

A young woman and her two children were found dead inside their house in Sector 7-D of Surjani Town on Monday, while the third child succumbed to injuries at a hospital. Police said the initial investigation suggested all four victims were attacked with a sharp-edged weapon and an iron rod.

West police identified the suspect as Humayun, a close relative of the deceased woman. Police said he allegedly killed Mehwish with an iron rod before killing her three children, who returned home from a madrassa while he was preparing to leave.

Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP) West Tariq Elahi Mastoi said the suspect, identified as Humayun, was being taken to recover the murder weapon when he allegedly snatched a pistol from Assistant Sub-Inspector (ASI) Nauman Sheikh and attempted to escape.

According to Mastoi, Humayun opened fire during the attempted escape, injuring ASI Nauman in the arm. Other police personnel returned fire, killing the suspect on the spot, he said.

Addressing a press conference on Thursday, Deputy Inspector General (DIG) West Irfan Baloch said Humayun was the husband of Mehwish’s sister-in-law. SSP West Mastoi and SSP Investigation West Masroor Jatoi were also present.

According to a statement given to police, Humayun switched off his mobile phone before going to Mehwish’s house. He left his motorcycle at home and travelled there in a Qingqi rickshaw. Police said he remained inside the house from about 1:30pm until 6pm.

DIG Baloch said the suspect had first attempted to sexually assault Mehwish. When she resisted, he allegedly struck her with an iron rod, killing her.

Her 18-month-old daughter was asleep at the time. The suspect allegedly smashed the child’s head against a wall, seriously injuring her. Police later found the girl alive, several hours after the attack, but she died while being taken to hospital.

Read: Eight-member police investigation team to probe Surjani Town massacre

Mehwish’s other two children had gone to a madrassa. Police said they returned home while Humayun was preparing to leave and began crying after seeing their mother. He allegedly killed both children with the same iron rod.

After the killings, Humayun allegedly washed himself in the bathroom to remove blood from his body and clothes. Police said he also washed the alleged murder weapon and cleaned the crime scene.

He then left the area and returned home, police said.

Several hours later, Humayun allegedly returned to the house and pretended not to know what had happened. He observed the police presence and later expressed condolences to Mehwish’s husband, Danish, accompanying the bodies to hospital, according to police.

Investigators questioned family members and neighbours during the probe.

Police said they learned that Danish had previously rented the upper floor of the house to a man named Humayun. Mehwish’s husband had reportedly become suspicious of his character and asked him to vacate the property.

Two witnesses — a man and a woman — later told investigators that they had seen Humayun leaving Mehwish’s house on the day of the killings, police said.

Read more: Victims were sedated before attack: police

The DIG said Humayun had continued to visit the house occasionally and had gone there on the night before the killings. Danish allegedly turned him away, saying everyone was asleep.

Police said Humayun had thrown the alleged murder weapon into a drain after the killings and that efforts were underway to recover it.

The suspect, who lived in New Karachi, operated a roadside stall in the area but had taken the day off on the day of the killings, police said.

Humayun was due to be produced before a court on Friday, where police would seek his physical remand in connection with the deaths of the four family members.

The killings came to light on Monday night when Mehwish’s husband returned home from work and found his wife and two children dead, while their third child was critically injured. The child later died at Jinnah Postgraduate Medical Centre. Police initially suspected a robbery but found no signs that valuables had been taken. A case was registered against unidentified suspects at Surjani Town Police Station.

Post-mortem examinations found severe head and brain injuries in all four victims. Police had been investigating whether the family was rendered unconscious before the attack and were examining CCTV footage, mobile phone records and forensic evidence. An eight-member investigation team was also formed under West SSP Tariq Mastoi, while the alleged murder weapon had not been recovered at the time.