Mass slaughter in Karachi: 6 decapitated bodies found near shrine

Taliban allegedly claim responsibility, warn people against visiting shrines.

KARACHI:

Barely a week after tragedy struck Keenjhar Lake, following the discovery of five bodies near a mausoleum, another incident of mass killing was reported from the outskirts of Karachi. This time the bodies of six decapitated men were found.

Police found a sharp-edge dagger from the crime scene and discovered from one of the victims’ mouths a note – apparently from the banned Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan’s Fazalullah group.

“In the note, Taliban claimed responsibility for the killings and threatened that those who visit shrines could meet the same fate,” said Station House Officer Samad Khan.

The bodies were found in a mud-house close to the Ayub Shah Shrine situated on a hillock located in the deserted area on the north-eastern outskirts of the city.

One of the custodians of the shrine, Jumman Shah Faqir found the bodies at around 11am when he returned to the place as per his routine. “With their slaughtered bodies, the mud-house was splattered with their blood,” he said.

One of the volunteers of an ambulance service, which reached the spot with police, said the heads of three victims were lying separately along with their bodies.

“It was difficult for us to deal with the remaining three bodies as their heads had almost been separated and we feared that they would drop off if we did not handle them carefully,” he explained.

The bodies were later shifted to the Abbasi Shaheed Hospital for autopsy. “Their bodies were fresh and they were apparently killed overnight,” a medico-legal officer, Dr Aftab Channar told The Express Tribune.

“The bodies had no marks of torture, but their hands and legs were apparently tied with rope before being slaughtered,” he added. Three of the victims have been identified as custodians of the shrine. Two others were visitors while the identity of the sixth victim is yet to be ascertained.

The area, where this incident took place, is notorious for the presence of the Taliban and many people including policemen have been killed there apparently by the militant outfit. In the past, Taliban have allegedly attacked several shrines in the country, including the Abdullah Shah Ghazi mazar in Karachi.

Published in The Express Tribune, January 8^th, 2014.