The discovery of five bodies inside a Karachi apartment in Ahsanabad has shocked residents after a middle-aged doctor, his wife and their three underage daughters were found dead in the family’s seventh-floor flat in Scheme-33 off Superhighway on Sunday, officials said. The five partially decomposed bodies were recovered from the high-rise building after neighbours alerted authorities about a foul smell emanating from the apartment.
According to police, the deceased were identified as 45-year-old Dr Umer and his 35-year-old wife, Mehwish. The couple’s three daughters were also among the dead. Police named only one daughter, 13-year-old Zainab, and said the two other girls were between the ages of two and four. The bodies were shifted to Abbasi Shaheed Hospital for post-mortem examination.
Police Surgeon Dr Summaiya Syed told Dawn that there were no apparent injury marks on the bodies, which were in an advanced stage of decomposition. She said the cause of death had been reserved pending chemical analysis, and that doctors had collected samples for DNA analysis. The uncertainty surrounding the deaths has left the investigation in a holding pattern until forensic results are available.
SITE Superhighway Industrial Area police SHO Mohammed Nawaz said they received information from the building’s union that a foul smell was coming from an apartment. Police rushed to the scene and found the door locked from the inside. They broke open the door and discovered the five bodies lying in a room. The officer said the doctor worked at a private hospital near his residence.
Investigators revealed that Dr Umer had recently been diagnosed with cancer, a development that had reportedly upset him. The police officer also said that robbers had recently looted the doctor. The family had been living in the apartment since 2024, according to officials.
East SSP Zubair Nazir Shaikh, who visited the spot, told Dawn that the bodies had been there for around three days. He said it would be premature to say anything about the exact cause of death at this stage, adding that they were waiting for the post-mortem reports. The crime scene unit was also called in to examine the apartment as part of the ongoing investigation into the Karachi apartment deaths.
The case has raised questions about the circumstances leading to the tragedy, with police relying on forensic evidence to determine what happened inside the locked flat. The absence of visible injuries and the advanced decomposition have made the post-mortem reports crucial to understanding the sequence of events. Authorities have not ruled out any possibility, and the investigation remains open as they await chemical analysis and DNA results.
Residents of the building expressed shock at the discovery, describing the family as quiet neighbours. The police have urged anyone with information to come forward as they piece together the final days of the family. The bodies will remain at the hospital until the investigation is complete.
Source: Dawn News