KARACHI: What began with a foul smell coming from a locked apartment turned into a grim discovery Sunday, when police found a doctor, his wife and their three young daughters dead inside their Ahsanabad home.
The five partially decomposed bodies were recovered from a seventh-floor apartment in a high-rise building in Ahsanabad, Scheme 33, off the Superhighway. Police said the family had been living in the apartment since 2024.
The victims were identified as 45-year-old Dr. Umer, his 35-year-old wife, Mehwish, and their three daughters. Police identified the eldest daughter as 13-year-old Zainab, while the other two girls were reported to be between 2 and 4 years old.
The bodies were taken to Abbasi Shaheed Hospital for autopsies. Police Surgeon Dr. Summaiya Syed said there were no apparent injury marks on the bodies, which were in an advanced stage of decomposition.
She said the exact cause of death would be determined after chemical analysis. Doctors also collected samples for DNA testing.
SITE Superhighway Industrial Area police SHO Mohammed Nawaz said police were alerted after the building’s union reported a foul smell coming from the apartment. Officers reached the scene and found the door locked from inside before breaking it open and discovering the bodies in a room.
Police said Dr. Umer worked at a private hospital near his residence. According to investigators, he had recently been diagnosed with cancer, which reportedly affected him emotionally. Police also said he had recently been robbed.
East SSP Zubair Nazir Shaikh, who visited the scene, said the bodies appeared to have been there for about three days. He cautioned that it was too early to determine how the family died and said investigators were awaiting the post-mortem reports.
A crime scene unit was called to collect evidence, while police were also obtaining CCTV footage from the building and surrounding area. Investigators plan to question hospital management, neighbors and other people who may have information about the family’s circumstances.
Police said Dr. Umer originally belonged to Punjab and investigators had contacted his brother in Lahore. His father-in-law, who also lives in Punjab, was asked to claim the bodies.
According to the SSP, neighbors had told police about the doctor’s medical condition and financial difficulties. Investigators are working to verify those accounts and determine the circumstances surrounding the deaths.
