Family of five, including three children, found dead in Karachi flat

• Flat door found locked from inside on seventh floor.
• Deceased doctor recently found job after long unemployment.
• Sindh IG orders merit-based investigation into incident.

KARACHI: The bodies of a family of five — a husband, wife and three children — were recovered from a flat in Site's Ahsanabad area on Sunday, with police saying the bodies were several days old and that suicide was suspected.

In a statement, Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP) East Zubair Nazir Sheikh said the bodies were found in a single room on the seventh floor of the building, with the flat's door locked from the inside.

He said the deceased man was a doctor and the family's sole provider, adding that the bodies had been transferred to Abbasi Shaheed Hospital after completion of legal formalities.

"The actual cause of death will only be determined after the postmortem," he said, adding that investigations were ongoing from multiple angles to identify the deceased and establish the full circumstances.

A neighbour told police that the doctor had been unemployed for a considerable period after his clinic shut down, but had recently secured employment at East City Hospital.

Meanwhile, Sindh Home Minister Zia-ul-Hassan Lanjar sought details from SSP East and directed him to immediately brief him on all initial police actions taken.

He said the investigation should be conducted effectively and its conclusions made public.

Sindh Inspector General of Police sought a detailed report from SSP East and directed that the investigation be conducted transparently, impartially and completed as swiftly as possible on the basis of merit and evidence.

'Initial investigation'

Meanwhile, police have completed their initial investigation into the deaths of five members of a family.

According to police, Dr Umar had resigned from a private hospital on September 13 after being diagnosed with cancer. The apartment was locked from the inside and police conducted a thorough search, but no mobile phone was found, they said.

Police said Dr Umar's wife had tried to sell the family's oven last week. A neighbour did not buy the oven but provided the family with Rs2,000 in financial assistance.

Police said they broke down the apartment door to enter the flat and found its key in Dr Umar's possession. The doctor originally belonged to Bahawalnagar, they added.

Meanwhile, Kamran, who alerted police through the Madadgar 15 helpline, said a strong and unbearable stench was coming from the apartment.

Speaking to journalists, Kamran said the doctor and his children had not been seen for several days. He said Dr Umar worked at a private hospital and was a decent person.

Kamran also said Dr Umar had been robbed several days earlier, with robbers taking his salary and other belongings.