A 24-year-old boy, Shalem Kamran, was found dead in mysterious circumstances on Sunday in the Mehmoodabad locality of Karachi.
According to police, Shalem died of an alcohol overdose — a claim his family vehemently denies.
His death comes as a shock to his family, who deny the police's version of events. Shalem, they said, had gone out on Saturday night to party with six of his friends.
Mahmoodabad Station House Officer (SHO) Anwar Ali Sheikh speculated that Shalem died of an alcohol overdose. The police have arrested Ahmed Paracha, one of Shalem's six friends who was out with him on the ill-fated night.
An official of Mehmoodabad police station, Mohammed Ashraf Ghuman, told Dawn that the police have registered the FIR against six friends of the deceased under Section 302 (murder) and 34 (common intention) of Pakistan Penal Code on the complaint of the victim’s father, Pervez Kamran Masih.
According to police, Paracha disclosed that Shalem was his co-worker and on Saturday they made a plan to party. Ahmad claims Shalem died as a result of an alcohol overdose, the police maintains.
During the initial probe, Paracha told the investigators that they had arranged a ‘whisky party’ at home in Mehmoodabad on Saturday night.
Paracha told the police that Shalem arrived at the home at around 12:30 night who was ‘already under influence of alcohol.’ The suspect claimed that they went to sleep late at night. However, he had to wake up at 3:30am as Shalem was ‘vomiting’ and insisted him to let him sleep.
At around 6:30am on Sunday, Shalem was found dead when they woke up.
Explore: Alcohol consumption in Pakistan: Don't mix sin with crime
Qarar Ahmed Abbasi, a doctor at Karachi's Civil Hospital told Dawn.com, he did not find any bruises on Shalem's body, however, a detailed medical report that will ascertain the cause of Shalem's untimely death is still being awaited.
Shalem's family is adamant that it was neither a suicide nor a case of alcohol overdose — they feel that Shalem was killed by one of his friends.
Shalem's sister spoke out through her Facebook status saying, "My brother was poisoned we are still waiting on the chemical report. Every person in medical field told us beforehand that he [Shalem] wasn't drunk he was poisoned."
She insinuated that Shalem's friends had poisoned him, and are now blaming alcohol and suicide as the cause of his death.
Shalem's funeral was held at St. Anthony's Cathedral on May 19 as police continue the investigation into his death. The services were largely attended by the relatives and the members of the community.
