Five members of a family, including a doctor, his wife and their three children, were found dead inside their flat in the Ahsanabad area of Karachi’s Site on Sunday, with police suspecting suicide.
Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP) East Zubair Nazir Sheikh said the bodies were recovered from a room on the seventh floor of the building. The apartment was locked from the inside, and the bodies appeared to have been there for several days.
The deceased doctor, identified as Dr Umar, was reportedly the sole breadwinner of the family. Police shifted the bodies to Abbasi Shaheed Hospital after completing the necessary legal formalities.
SSP Sheikh said the exact cause of death would be established after postmortem examinations, while investigators were examining the case from multiple angles to determine the circumstances surrounding the deaths.
According to police, Dr Umar had resigned from a private hospital on September 13 after being diagnosed with cancer. He had reportedly remained unemployed for some time after closing his clinic but had recently secured a job at East City Hospital.
Police said no mobile phone was found during a detailed search of the apartment. The door had been forced open by police, and the key was subsequently found in Dr Umar’s possession.
Investigators also learnt that Dr Umar’s wife had attempted to sell the family’s oven last week. A neighbour who was approached for the purchase did not buy it but instead provided the family with Rs2,000 in financial assistance.
A neighbour, Kamran, who contacted police through the Madadgar 15 emergency helpline, said an unbearable smell was coming from the apartment. He told journalists that the doctor and his children had not been seen for several days.
Kamran described Dr Umar as a decent person and said he worked at a private hospital. He also claimed that the doctor had been robbed several days earlier, with the robbers allegedly taking his salary and other belongings.
Police said Dr Umar was originally from Bahawalnagar.
Sindh Home Minister Zia-ul-Hassan Lanjar sought a report from SSP East and directed him to brief him on the initial police response. He called for an effective investigation and directed that its findings be made public.
Sindh Inspector General of Police also sought a detailed report from the SSP East, directing investigators to ensure that the probe remained transparent and impartial and was completed promptly on the basis of evidence.
Police said the investigation was continuing and that the actual cause of death would be determined following the postmortem examinations.
