Murder?: Body of Nigerian man found in G-14

Police believe he died on Saturday night.

ISLAMABAD:

The body of a Nigerian national was found wrapped in a plastic bag in a green belt near the new toll plaza in Sector G-14 on Sunday. The Golra police said the victim, identified as Kanju Samuel Chico from a passport found in his pocket, died because of a stab wound on his abdomen. The victim, believed to be in his mid-thirties, had lacerations on his neck as well, the police said. The body has been sent to the Pakistan Institute of Medical Sciences for a post-mortem, according to the police.

Golra Station House Officer Muhammad Siddique said local shepherds alerted the police to the presence of the dead body around 11am on Sunday.

Siddique said the wound on the victim’s stomach was stuffed with cotton and wrapped with tape, perhaps to stop the bleeding. He said the condition of the body indicated the murder was committed on Saturday.

He said the man arrived in Pakistan on August 12 and had a valid visa. “He has travelled to Pakistan before,” Siddique said. “We will contact the embassy on Monday.”

Police think the murder might have been committed by someone from within the African-origin community in Islamabad. They have not ruled out the possibility that the victim might have been smuggling drugs in his stomach and the wound could have been caused in an attempt to retrieve the contraband.

A murder case has been registered against unknown persons at the Golra Police Station and investigations are underway. Police also found tyre marks around the place where the body was found, indicating that someone might have dumped it in G-14 after committing the murder elsewhere.

Published in The Express Tribune, August 19^th, 2013.