Murders most foul: Police still clueless about perpetrators, motive

Four siblings’ decomposed bodies were discovered on June 1 from their house.

RAWALPINDI:

A former government employee, Muhammad Saleem, and his three sisters, residents of Muslim Town, were found dead on June 1.  

The decomposition of their bodies showed they had died a few days prior to their discovery, according to the police.

The Sadiqabad police, under whose jurisdiction the crime took place, are as clueless today as they were the day of the crime’s discovery.

According to residents, Saleem, a 64-year old bachelor, had bought the house five years back and moved in with his sisters. The house is a no-go area now, with barbed wires securing it from all sides.

“They had no visible enmity with anyone but they also had little or no interaction with the neighbours,” said Muhammad Ramzan, a local resident.



Most locals are unwilling to talk about the incident, even off the record. “I don’t want to be part of the investigation and be forced to visit the police station,” said a local, requesting anonymity.

It was also learnt that the police have not visited the area after initially collecting evidence.

Sadiqabad SHO Tanveer Warraich said, “We are not the American police so don’t expect us to nab the killers overnight,” adding that the crime was committed in a very technical way.

They were definitely professionals and it will thus take time to trace them, he added.

“The killers after murdering the family members washed the dishes and even the whole house and didn’t leave a single sign which could help the police to trace them,” he said. The SHO said that for the time being he did not have any details worth sharing.



Talking to The Express Tribune Rawal SP Jamaat Shah Bukhari said a team comprising the DSP New Town and SHO Warraich are investigating the murder.

He said police have acquired bank account details of Saleem and his sisters. “We have obtained their mobile phone data and have also involved family members of the deceased as part of the investigation, including the husband of one of the sisters, who is a driver in the Senate,” he said.

An investigation official, requesting anonymity, said that 14 people had been interrogated so far, including a section officer at the National Assembly and a friend of the deceased, Shamim.

According to the post-mortem report, there was no sign of torture on the bodies. The initial report confirmed that they were killed three days before their bodies were recovered.

The initial report also stated they were poisoned to death, however more details will be ascertained once results of a chemical examination are received. 

Published in The Express Tribune, June 8^th, 2013.