THATTA: A widow who worked as a labourer at a farm and her four young sons were found dead in mysterious circumstances in her thatched house in Jhimpir town, 40 kilometres from here early on Monday morning.

Neighbours said that when they peeped into the hut of Soomeri, 33, to wake her up and join in Holi festival they found the mother and her children Nek, Ashok, Aakash and Mukesh, whose ages ranged between seven and 11 years, lying on the ground with the mother, with blood oozing from the woman’s nostrils. Soomeri’s husband Chandoo Kolhi had died after electrocution some time back.

Jherruck DSP Asghar Jutt, who was investigating the gruesome deaths, said that it would too early to comment on the incident. However, initial evidence suggested it could be an incident of mass suicide, he said.

But the doctor who performed autopsy on the victims at Thatta Civil Hospital did not subscribe to suicide as cause of death.

Dr Sikandar Shah, medical superintendent, quoted Dr Gianchand who carried out the post mortem as saying that the provisional autopsy report suggested that the victims had been strangulated to death after they were forced to drink some toxic substance.

The doctor’s claim was corroborated by a partially empty bottle of some poison found at the crime scene, signs of violence on bodies and visible marks of rope tightening round their necks.

The doctor said the viscera and other samples had been dispatched to laboratories concerned for analysis but it could be safely said that it appeared to be a case of murder.

Bano Kolhi, mother of late Soomeri, stated before Thatta Deputy Commissioner Usman Tanveer, who had arrived there to gather facts, and a large number of villagers that her community had been facing excesses by an influential person of Palari tribe. Some time ago, the tribesman had two Kolhi girls abducted and later forced them into marriage with his people. These murders too, Bano claimed, were a continuation of the excesses.

Thatta SSP Suhai Aziz Talpur said that police would hopefully resolve the mystery soon in the light of statement recorded by the victim’s mother and a voice message found in the family’s mobile phone. Police would have the voice message and other evidence analysed to bring the real culprits to justice, she said.

Published in Dawn, March 10th, 2020