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KARACHI: Police found five members of a family, including two young children, dead inside a house in Falak Naz Society, Malir, on Tuesday. Investigators also recovered a handwritten note that reportedly referred to financial hardship and alleged harassment by relatives.
The deceased were identified as 30-year-old Shehryar, his 28-year-old wife, Saba, their children, five-year-old Aizal and three-year-old Arya, and Shehryar’s 20-year-old sister, Shumaila.
Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP) Malir Dr Abdul Khaliq Pirzada told The Express Tribune that the house was locked from the inside. Police broke open the door and discovered Shehryar and Saba seated on chairs with gunshot wounds to their heads. Officers also found a pistol nearby.
“The bodies of Shumaila and the two children were found on bedding on the floor in the same room. The three appeared to be asleep, but foam was coming from their mouths,” SSP Pirzada said.
Police recovered a handwritten note from Shehryar’s pocket. According to the initial investigation, the note purportedly described the deaths as a suicide and murder involving family members.
Investigators suspected that the children and Shumaila may have received poison before Shehryar and Saba died from gunshot wounds. However, authorities said post-mortem examinations would help establish the cause of death for all five family members.
Police also recovered a white powder from the house. Investigators collected the substance for laboratory testing after suspecting it could be poison.
Forensic teams examined the scene and collected evidence and fingerprints. SSP Pirzada said investigators were also seeking samples of Shehryar’s earlier handwriting to determine whether he had written the note.
The handwritten note reportedly described severe financial difficulties and alleged that relatives had harassed the family following the death of Shehryar’s father in a traffic accident.
The note claimed that relatives accused the family of causing the father’s death.
“The reason we are taking this step is that our relatives started harassing us. They say that we killed our father,” the note read, according to the report.
It also described difficulties obtaining money for basic necessities, including groceries, milk for the children and gas for the household.
Shehryar allegedly wrote that relatives had humiliated the family when they asked for financial assistance. The note also accused maternal aunts and paternal uncles of blocking contact with them.
The allegations in the note have not been independently established. Police were investigating the claims as part of the broader inquiry.
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Malir Investigation Police said a relative had arranged for groceries to be delivered to the house a day before the bodies were discovered.
Police also said some neighbourhood residents had reported that Shehryar was experiencing severe distress over financial problems. Investigators were examining these accounts alongside other evidence.
The bodies were shifted to the Jinnah Postgraduate Medical Centre for post-mortem examinations. Police said they were investigating the circumstances surrounding all five deaths and had not yet established the complete sequence of events.
Sindh Home Minister Ziaul Hassan Lanjar took notice of the incident and directed SSP Malir to provide a detailed report.
He ordered a thorough investigation into all aspects of the case and instructed police to use available resources to establish the facts and identify anyone responsible for a crime.
Lanjar also directed officials to keep him informed about the investigation’s progress and ensure that any action followed the law.
Police investigations and forensic examinations are expected to help clarify the cause of death, the authenticity of the handwritten note and the circumstances leading to the tragedy.
