Foul smell leads to grisly discovery

A foul smell from a locked seventh-floor apartment led police to a grim discovery in Ahsanabad on Sunday, where the decomposed bodies of a doctor, his wife and their three young daughters were found lying in a single room. The five-member family is believed to have been dead for several days, as police began piecing together the circumstances surrounding the deaths.

The five bodies were shifted to hospital for post-mortem examination after police broke open the locked doors. Authorities said the definitive cause of death would be established only after forensic and post-mortem reports. The bodies were recovered from an apartment in Sector 1, Ahsanabad, within the jurisdiction of Site Superhighway Industrial Area police station. Police said the deceased were identified as 45-year-old Dr Omar, his wife Mehwish, aged around 30 to 35, and their three daughters. One daughter was identified as 10-to-12-year-old Zainab, while the identities of the other two girls had yet to be established.

According to SHO Site Super Highway Muhammad Nawaz, Dr Omar had been working at the nearby East City Hospital but resigned on September 13, reportedly after being diagnosed with kidney cancer last month. The officer said the diagnosis had left the doctor deeply distressed and may have been linked to his decision to quit his job. Police have not, however, drawn any final conclusion about the deaths.

Investigators found no mobile phones believed to have been used by Dr Omar or his wife inside the flat. The keys to the main entrance were reportedly recovered near Dr Omar's head.

The investigation has also brought to light signs of financial distress in the family's final days. According to police, Dr Omar's wife had attempted to sell their oven to a neighbour for Rs10,000 the previous week. The neighbour declined to buy it but gave her Rs2,000 to help the family.

Residents told police that Dr Omar and his family had lived in the apartment for around three years and described him as a decent and peaceful man who had no known enmity with anyone. He had also opened a clinic near the apartment some time ago, but closed it after it failed to attract enough business.

Neighbours further said Dr Omar had recently fallen victim to a street robbery after collecting his salary. According to them, the incident occurred around September 9 or 10 near the apartment, when armed snatchers took his salary money and mobile phone. They said the doctor subsequently asked them about selling household belongings to raise money, but they discouraged him and instead helped him financially.

Dr Omar was last seen in the apartment around two to three days before the bodies were discovered, according to residents.

SSP East Zubair Nazir Sheikh said Dr Omar's brother, who lives in a city in Punjab, had reportedly distanced himself from the doctor, while police were attempting to establish contact with other members of the family.

Meanwhile, Home Minister Ziaul Hassan Lanjar sought a detailed report on the incident and directed the SSP East to brief him immediately on the initial police action. He ordered investigators to establish the factors and circumstances behind the deaths by examining eyewitness accounts and physical evidence from the scene, and directed the SSP to personally supervise the investigation and keep the provincial authorities informed of its progress.