KARACHI: Five members of a family, including two young girls, were found dead inside a house in a private housing society near Gulshan-e-Hadeed in Karachi’s Bin Qasim area on Tuesday. The Gulshan-e-Hadeed family deaths mark the second such case to surface in the city within weeks.
Rescue officials identified the dead as 40-year-old Shahzaib, his wife Saba, also 40, their daughters Aizal, five, and Arya, four, and Shahzaib’s 18-year-old sister Shumaila. The bodies were discovered during the night between Monday and Tuesday, and police sealed the residence as a crime scene.
Police said Shahzaib and Saba were found on sofas with gunshot wounds to the head. A pistol was recovered from the flat. The bodies of Shumaila and the two girls were found on a bed in another part of the house. The flat was locked from the inside when police arrived, and initial reports indicated no signs of a robbery attempt or resistance.
Investigators suspect the two girls may have been poisoned, though police have not confirmed the cause of death for any of the five. The bodies have been shifted for postmortem examinations, and the final findings will depend on forensic evidence.
The News first reported the discovery of the five bodies on Tuesday.
Note cites financial hardship in Gulshan-e-Hadeed family deaths
A handwritten note, believed to have been written by Shahzaib, was recovered from the house. According to police, the note described serious financial difficulties. Shahzaib was unemployed and had been supporting his family by selling property he had inherited from his late father, officials said.
The note also pointed to strained relations with relatives. Shahzaib reportedly wrote that his family had been boycotted by relatives, that requests for financial help were met with insults, and that their telephone numbers had been blocked. Police said the authenticity of the note and its relevance to the deaths remain subject to forensic examination.
IG Sindh orders transparent investigation
Sindh Inspector General of Police Javed Alam Odho took notice of the incident and sought a detailed report from the deputy inspector general East. He directed investigators to conduct a transparent and impartial inquiry, collect evidence from the scene, complete forensic examinations and fulfil all legal formalities.
The police chief also ordered officers to examine any possible criminal involvement rather than settle on a conclusion before the evidence had been assessed. The Sindh home minister separately ordered a probe from all possible angles.
Police personnel, crime scene investigators and Edhi ambulance staff reached the location after residents alerted the authorities.
A similar case in Karachi weeks earlier
The deaths come weeks after a strikingly similar incident in Karachi’s Ahsanabad area, where five members of another family were found dead inside a locked flat in the Site neighbourhood.
In that case, the dead included a doctor identified as Dr Umar, his wife and their three children. The bodies were several days old when residents alerted police about a foul smell coming from the flat. Police had suspected suicide in that matter as well, with reports indicating the family had been going through financial difficulties after Dr Umar became unemployed due to illness.
The back-to-back cases have raised questions about the pressures facing families in the city, though police have stressed that each case must be judged on its own evidence.
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Frequently asked questions
Who were the five people found dead in Gulshan-e-Hadeed?
Rescue officials identified them as 40-year-old Shahzaib, his wife Saba, also 40, their daughters Aizal, five, and Arya, four, and Shahzaib’s 18-year-old sister Shumaila.
What did police find at the house?
Shahzaib and Saba were found on sofas with gunshot wounds to the head, and a pistol was recovered from the flat. Shumaila and the two girls were found on a bed. The flat was locked from the inside, with no signs of robbery or resistance.
What did the recovered note say?
According to police, the handwritten note cited financial difficulties, unemployment and strained relations with relatives. Its authenticity remains subject to forensic examination.
What happens next in the investigation?
Postmortem examinations are under way. The Sindh IG has ordered a transparent, impartial inquiry with forensic evidence collection, and the DIG East has been asked to submit a detailed report.
