KARACHI, Sept 3: The body of a woman judicial magistrate was found hanging from a ceiling fan in her house in Bahadurabad on Saturday. Family and police believe that the unmarried judge, Shaista Hamid, 32, has committed suicide. A senior investigator said that an inspection of the scene and the circumstantial evidence showed no foul play.

Ms Shaista had obtained on rent a portion of the house comprising two bedrooms, a drawing room and a dining room on August 15 for Rs10,000 per month. Previously, she lived in her parents’ house in Karimabad. Her father, Hamid Ali, is a lawyer and lives in the United Kingdom along with her mother, according to the deceased’s brother Mr Hasan.

Mr Hasan said that the body was not in a condition to delay the burial. However, Ms Shaista’s parents are likely to arrive in the city by Monday.

Ms Shaista’s landlord informed the police that some strange sound like some heavy thing falling on the floor was heard coming from the first floor where the woman lived. The family living on the ground floor tried to ascertain the reason but got no response.

On Friday night, Mr Hasan had come to visit her and as there was no reply from inside the house, he got suspicious and informed police. The police broke open the door and found the woman hanging from the ceiling fan.

Hasan told the police that Shaista had attempted suicide some time back by taking a heavy dose of sleeping pills. The pillow and mattress on her bed carried cuts probably made with dagger or knife which indicates that she was in a state of frenzy.

Police said they found the doors and windows of the house locked from inside when they broke open the main gate.