LAHORE, Sept 21: Decomposed bodies of a retired wing commander and his wife were recovered from their house at canal bank in Gulberg-II on Sunday.

Nasir Khan told the police that his uncle, Mumtaz Elahi (70), together with his wife Saleema Elahi (60), were issueless and had been residing alone in the house.

Mr Mumtaz retired from the PAF some 16 years ago and then started a real estate business. He himself owned a lot of property, including a plaza in the Defence Housing Society worth millions.

Neighbours called the police when they felt an odd smell emitting from the house. Before breaking into the house, the police contacted relatives of the couple, and the nephew reached the place.

Mr Mumtaz was found dead in his bedroom while the body of his wife was recovered from a washroom. Both seemed to have been strangled to death as the police said they found a rope lying beside one of the body.

At an advanced stage of decomposition, the bodies were sent to the city mortuary for an autopsy. A murder case was registered with no arrest.

The police believed the couple was murdered last Tuesday. They said all the newspapers from Tuesday onward were found lying unattended at the doorstep. No jewellery or cash was found missing as Nasir told the police that the couple did not cash at home. Nor did Ms Saleema keep much jewellery, he said.

The police however believed the property owned by the couple could be a motive behind the murder. So far, Model Town division SP Capt Ahmad Mubin (retired) said that Muhammad Yaqoob, a servant at the house, appeared to be the prime suspect as he was missing. “Nothing could be said about the motive.”

The SP said the servant was last seen by a watchman, Ismail, of a neighbouring house two days ago. The servant told the watchman a lie when the latter asked him about the couple, saying that they had left for their native village for some days, he added. Further investigation is under way.

MURDER: A rickshaw driver was shot dead by a neighbour at Meraj Park in Shahdara on Sunday.