KARACHI: Police on Wednesday said they were examining handwritten letters of and drawings by the two teenage classmates who were found shot dead on Tuesday morning in a private school in Patel Para in Soldier Bazaar. They said they were treating it as a suicide case.

Sixteen-year-old Nauroz Hamidi killed his classmate Saba Fatima Bashir, 15, before shooting himself dead with the licensed pistol of her father on Tuesday morning, as the two had decided to end their lives after finding that their families were unhappy about their friendship.

Know more: Two teenage classmates found shot dead in school

“The teenage classmates apparently took this extreme action as they feared that they would not be allowed to marry outside their sect or caste,” said Jamshed SP Akhtar Farooq.

The boy belonged to the Ismaili community, added the officer.

‘Fear of not being allowed to marry outside their sect or caste caused teenagers to kill themselves’

The SP said the investigators found more handwritten letters and drawings in the bag of the boy, which indicated their extreme love for each other.

These letters also indicate that they had been planning this act for a long time. One of the drawings, prepared by the boy, shows their funeral prayers. The boy intended to commit suicide by taking some toxic chemicals, one of the letters shows. Another letter shows that they started liking each other just last year.

The officer said investigation showed that the girl brought the licensed pistol of her father in her bag and she later handed it over to him.

It emerged during the initial probe that the boy and the girl were introvert and tended to avoid mixing with other classmates. Besides, they had no interest in sports. The boy was not good in studies.

However, the SP said, as per the initial statement of their families the teenage classmates did not exhibit any unusual attitude. The girl’s family stated that on Tuesday night, Saba refused to eat dinner at home and insisted on having a burger.

Meanwhile, the school where the teenagers studied remained closed on Wednesday.

Published in Dawn, September 3rd, 2015

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