KARACHI: A woman, who was kidnapped for ransom two days ago, was found murdered in Surjani Town on Monday, officials said.

They added that the body of Saher Fatima, 42, was found in a rented house on a lead provided by two suspects, identified as Waseem Raza and Nexon Imtiaz, after they were arrested in an intelligence-based raid.

A Rangers spokesperson said that the raid was jointly conducted by the paramilitary force and Anti-Violent Crime Cell (AVCC). The Rangers had received information that some kidnappers had abducted Saher Fatima from Gulberg Town and were demanding Rs10 million as ransom for her release.

During an initial probe, the held suspects revealed that they kidnapped the woman on February 15 and kept her at a rented house in Hasan Brohi Goth. They tied her hands and legs, made a video, which was sent to her father, and demanded the ransom from him.

Law enforcers recover trussed-up body from a rented house on lead provided by two held ‘kidnappers’

“The suspects killed her brutally over non-payment of ransom,” said the statement by the paramilitary force. The body was shifted to the Abbasi Shaheed Hospital for medico-legal formalities.

Police Surgeon Dr Summaiya Syed said that her hands and feet were tied with zip ties. Cause of death was reserved while all relevant samples were taken.

Surjani SHO Ghulam Husain Pirzada said the suspects had got the house on rent a few days ago in Christian Mohalla from where the woman’s body was found.

Central SSP Zeeshan Shafiq Siddiqi said that the victim’s husband complained to Yusuf Plaza police and an FIR was lodged. He said when the family received voice note demanding ransom and video form the suspects, the case was transferred to the AVCC.

According to the contents of the FIR, complainant Ghazi Abbas said he lives in F.B. Area, Block-16 and runs a shop at Maritime Museum, Karsaz where his wife Saher Fatima also worked in the evening shift. He said when he phoned his wife at 3pm on February 15, she did not receive his call despite several attempts. At 6pm, he talked with his son and daughter who informed him that their mother had left the home at 12:30pm to purchase some food/ration but did not return.

She was also not receiving the call and at 9:30pm, the complainant said, his sister-in-law phoned him by saying that her father had received a video from cell number of Saher Fatima in which she could be seen with her hands and legs tied while her mouth was gagged with tape and she appeared to be ‘unconscious’.

Published in Dawn, February 18th, 2025