Disappearing corpses: Police investigates claims of criminal activities in graveyards

One of the cases is a fabrication aimed at framing labourers, says the police.

KARACHI: Law enforcers have collected information pertaining to grotesque criminal activities that transpired at two different graveyards in the city and suggested that one of these cases was fabricated by a landlord to frame two labourers who left him.

The Hindu brothers, Chaitan and Sachin, were arrested for stealing human remains from the Ghulam Mohammad Jhokio graveyard in Gulshan-e-Maymar on November 8 - just a day after the news about the incident was disseminated by the media. A police officer, speaking on the condition of anonymity, told The Express Tribune that the brothers were arrested as his superiors were flustered by the media’s comprehensive coverage of the cases. “We don’t have any evidence as yet,” he said. “We didn’t even have any evidence at the time we arrested the brothers but were compelled into taking action because of the hype created by the media.”

The officer said that only one or two graves appeared to be tampered with while the other graves were dilapidated due to their age.

The villagers also claimed that the allegations of robbery were false. “Chaitan and Sachin stopped working for their landlord as they found work elsewhere. This angered the landlord, who planned meticulously to frame them.”

The brothers were released by the court on Thursday, as there was not enough evidence against them. However, they were sent to prison as they failed to pay the bail.

A report by the Police’s Special Branch also mentioned that they did not find any evidence which suggested that human remains were stolen from the graveyard. DSP Mukhtiar Khaskheli said that the suspects did not confess during the investigation. He added that the police was just doing its job when it arrested the suspects and produced them before the court. “We took action on the basis of reports we received from villagers. Bails are accepted for such offences, which is why the court released them,” he explained. “The investigation is still in process, and we will arrest the brothers if we find any evidence against them.” The police have information about another suspect who is witch doctor, but he has managed to evade arrest.

In another case, a young man named Riaz was apprehended for defiling the corpses of women at the Paposh Nagar graveyard within the jurisdiction of the North Nazimabad police station a few weeks ago. The charge sheet against him has been finalised. According to SHO Asim Siddiqi, the police have recorded the statements of at least three persons who used to work at the graveyard and the charge sheet against Riaz will be submitted to the court within three days.

For both of the cases, the police have relied on the oral accounts of villagers. They have not collected reliable evidence through forensic investigation.

Published in The Express Tribune, November 12^th,  2011.