KARACHI: Police on Friday registered a murder case and launched a probe after an autopsy found that a teenage girl, whose body was found in her Korangi home a day before, was actually raped and murdered.

The body of the teenager was found hanging from the ceiling of her home and initially it was said that she had died by suicide. However, police raised doubts that the roof of the room was so high that it appeared impossible for the girl to hang herself from the ceiling.

Later, a post-mortem examination was carried out at the Jinnah Postgraduate Medical Centre, where doctors confirmed that she was subjected to a sexual assault and strangled.

Police Surgeon Summaiya Syed said the body of the 13-year-old was brought to the JPMC on Thursday.

Police say killer(s) hanged the body to make it seem like a case of suicide

“Her postmortem findings are suggestive that she has been subjected to sexual violence,” she said, adding: “The cause of death ascertained as asphyxia due to constriction of neck as in strangulation.”

“Samples have been collected for chemical analysis, serology and DNA,” she added.

Murder investigation underway

“We are investigating the matter from different aspects,” said Korangi SSP Hassan Sardar.

He told Dawn that the killers had hanged the body to make it look like a suicide.

The victim’s family would also be questioned, he said.

The SSP said that a case on the complaint of the victim’s father against unknown persons was registered at the Korangi Industrial Area police station under Sections 376 (punishment for rape), 377 (unnatural offences), 302 (premeditated murder), 201 (causing disappearance of evidence of offence, or giving false information to screen offender) and 34 (common intention) of the Pakistan Penal Code.

The complainant told the police that he was at work when his neighbour informed him over the phone about his daughter’s death. He said he rushed to the home where he was informed that his wife took the body to a private hospital. When he reached there, his wife informed him that she left the home to buy vegetables and returned at 5:30pm only to see her daughter hanging from the ceiling.

The complainant said that the body was moved to the JPMC where doctors conducted an autopsy and found that she was raped and murdered.

The body was handed over to the family for burial, the SSP added.

Published in Dawn, February 24th, 2024