KARACHI: Four female members of a family were found murdered in their Lea Market apartment in the wee hours of Saturday morning, police said.

Panic and fear gripped the city as soon as the news of gruesome killing spread. However, by evening, the police claimed to have solved the case by arresting a close relative of the family for the quadruple homicide.

City SSP Arif Aziz told Dawn four bodies, with slit throats, were found in separate rooms of the flat located on the seventh floor of Zainab Arcade, Bantwa Street, within the remit of the Baghdadi police station.

The victims were identified as Shamshad Farooq, 60, her 21-year-old daughter, Madiha Farooq, 20-year-old daughter-in-law, Ayesha Sameer, 20, and 12-year-old granddaughter Alina Razzaq.

Investigators say suspect killed his mother, sister, sister-in-law and niece due to anger over their TikTok videos

The bodies were shifted to the Dr Ruth Pfau Civil Hospital Karachi for medico-legal formalities.

Police Surgeon Dr Summaiya Syed stated that deep cut wounds were found on the victims’ necks, but there were no signs of resistance. This suggests that all victims may have been intoxicated before being murdered.

Muhammad Farooq, the husband of victim Shamshad, informed the police that upon returning from work on Friday night, he found the flat locked from the inside. He said despite repeated knocking, he received no response and in the meantime, his son, Ali, arrived from work and managed to open the door. To their horror, Mr Farooq said, they discovered the bodies of his wife, daughter, daughter-in-law and granddaughter inside.

Later in the evening, DIG-South Syed Asad Raza told Dawn that the police arrested Shamshad’s son, Muhammad Bilal Kutchi, for killing his family members for “honour”.

Police sources revealed that suspect Bilal was detained near the Native Jetty Bridge with knife wounds on his hands.

They said that during interrogation, he confessed to killing his family members, citing rage over their TikTok videos, which he claimed spread “immodesty and shamelessness”.

He also believed his family was the reason for his wife’s separation, the DIG said, adding that the suspect returned home two weeks ago from Saudi Arabia, where he had gone to perform Umrah.

Meanwhile, Sindh Chief Minister Syed Murad Ali Shah and Home Minister Zia Lanjar took notice of the gruesome incident and directed police to take measures to arrest the killer(s).

Published in Dawn, October 20th, 2024