FAISALABAD, Jan 7: The recovery of bodies of six people, yet to be identified but seemingly members of a single family, in the past six days from Sattiana drain just a few yards away from the Khanuana police post of the Sadar police station has created a panic among locals.

Owing to their hectic duties in connection with security arrangements on Ashura, the police are unable to trace the murderers of the half dozen people so far and, in this modern era, some policemen were reportedly seen giving alms to get the mystery behind the murders solved through ‘divine’ intervention.

The unidentified assailants threw the bodies of two men, as many women, a teenaged girl and a boy in the drain and these were recovered by the police on three separate days during the past one week.

The police also registered three cases on the information furnished by locals.

Dawn learned that Ahsanul Haq of Chak 75-GB informed the police about the body of a woman in her mid-20s lying in the drain first on Jan 2.

On Jan 5, another two bodies, one of 20-year-old man and the other of 35-year-old man, were found. This time Hayyat of Chak 71-GB informed the police about the bodies. On the same day, another body of a 10-year-old boy was also found and Azhar Abbas of Chak 71-GB reported this incident to the police.

Two more bodies, one of a 35-year-old woman and the other of a 15-year-old girl, were recovered on Jan 6, and Rustam Ali of Chak 243-RB informed the police about this incident.

The local policemen carried out the recovery operation on their own and none of their superiors bothered visiting the scene. They arranged the machinery out of their pocket to retrieve the bodies from the filthy drain.

Announcements were also made through mosques for identification of the bodies, but to no avail.

The bodies have been sent to the morgue for autopsy. However, it is believed that all victims were strangled to death.

Nearly three dozen employees equipped with two motorcycles and a van are deployed at the police post, and they are also frightened enough because of the insecure building, having no boundary wall. They also gave alms to the needy people seeking Almighty’s help in tracing the criminals as well as the victims.

A police employee seeking anonymity said thorough investigations were yet to be started as whole the force was busy guarding the majalis and processions in connection with Ashura. He said only the supervisory police officer, DSP Abdul Rehman, had visited the police post and taken first hand information.

Talking to Dawn, Moharrar Anwar said the police had so far received no clue to the victims as pockets of all of them were found empty. He said two of the victims were apparently electrocuted before they were strangled. All the victims appeared to be members of a single family, he said and added that they would publicise the pictures of the victims for their identification.

Medina Town Superintendent of Police Rommel Akram said after Ashura, they would take Nadra’s help and send these pictures to different districts to identify the victims. He said the preliminary investigation suggested that the victims were not residents of the area.