Five members of a family, including two young girls, were found dead inside their rented home in Falak Naz Society, located in Karachi’s Malir district, on Tuesday, October 13.
The deceased were identified as 30-year-old Shehryar, his 28-year-old wife, Saba, their daughters, five-year-old Aizal and three-year-old Arya, and Shehryar’s 20-year-old sister, Shumaila. According to police, the house was locked from the inside when officers arrived at the scene. The door was subsequently forced open, and the bodies were recovered from inside the residence.
Malir Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP) Dr Abdul Khaliq Pirzada said Shehryar and Saba were found seated on chairs with gunshot wounds to their heads. A pistol was recovered from the scene, while Shumaila and the two children were found lying on bedding on the floor in the same room. Police also recovered a handwritten note from Shehryar’s pocket. The note reportedly referred to the family’s financial difficulties and alleged harassment by close relatives.
Handwritten Note Refers to Financial Hardship
According to the initial findings shared by police, the note described the family’s struggles to meet basic household expenses, including rent, groceries, milk for the children and cooking gas.
The note also alleged that relatives had refused to provide financial assistance and had mistreated the family following the death of Shehryar’s father, who had died in a traffic accident some time earlier. The allegations contained in the note have not been independently verified.
Police suspect that Shumaila and the two children may have been poisoned before Shehryar and Saba died from gunshot wounds. A white powder was also reportedly recovered from the house and taken for laboratory testing. However, the exact cause and sequence of the five deaths have yet to be established.
Police Investigating All Aspects of the Case
Forensic teams collected evidence and fingerprints from the residence as part of the investigation. Police are also examining the handwritten note and seeking samples of Shehryar’s previous handwriting to establish its authenticity.
The bodies were shifted to the Jinnah Postgraduate Medical Centre (JPMC) for post-mortem examinations. The medical and forensic findings are expected to help investigators determine the circumstances surrounding the deaths.
Sindh Home Minister Ziaul Hassan Lanjar took notice of the incident and directed the SSP Malir to submit a detailed report. He also ordered a thorough investigation into all aspects of the case.
Sindh Inspector General of Police Javed Alam Odho separately sought a report from the East Zone police chief, directing officers to conduct a transparent and impartial investigation, collect all relevant evidence and determine the facts. The investigation is ongoing, and the exact circumstances surrounding the deaths remain under investigation.
Sources: The Express Tribune, and DAWN.
