Evidence so far shows that actor Humaira Asghar’s death was accidental or due to natural causes, according to a police investigative report released on Wednesday.
Last week, police formed a special investigation team to probe the actor’s death, whose body was found in a Karachi apartment on July 8.
According to the report by South Deputy Inspector General Syed Asad Raza, a copy of which is available with Dawn.com, “Evidence so far suggests no signs of foul play or suicide.
“Circumstances indicate a possible accidental or natural cause of death while she was engaged in household chores.”
The report added that the double-locked door and the presence of all keys inside support the conclusion of no third-party involvement. There was also no evidence of physical assault, struggle, or weapon marks as per the initial post-mortem report.
The final confirmation of the cause of death awaited toxicology, chemical analysis and forensic findings, according to the report.
“A foul smell was reported by neighbours in December 2024. In January, the owner and building staff visited the apartment but did not detect anything substantial,” the report read.
The balcony door and window were found open and that likely allowed the smell to disperse.
The report continued that no one followed up further due to the assumption that she was out of town, as Humaira had a pattern of extended absences, and the owner of the apartment she had rented had already filed an eviction case and chose not to engage with her personally.
According to the digital and forensic analysis conducted by the police on Humaira’s personal devices and mobile phones, the last day of recorded outgoing activity was on October 7, 2024, when she contacted 14 individuals.
“The last known communication was around 5pm, strongly suggesting she died later that same day on Oct 7,” the report said.
The police also alluded to a lack of surveillance and monitoring at the apartment building, as no CCTV cameras were installed inside or outside the building, and there was no lift operator or front security to monitor residents.
Humaira was laid to rest in the Model Town Q Block graveyard in Lahore last Friday following a sparsely-attended funeral.
An autopsy report by police surgeon Summaiya Syed had confirmed that the body was in an “advanced stage of decomposition” and at least eight months old.
The autopsy report was released to the police, but the coroner could not determine the actor’s cause of death due to the level of decomposition.
The notification calling for the formation of the investigation team had directed them to inquire into the facts and thoroughly investigate the death of Humaira to ascertain the cause of death, whether natural, accidental, suicidal or murder, by utilising all available resources and submit a progress report to the SSP’s office on a daily basis.
Besides being a theatre, film and TV artist, Humera was also a visual artist who studied at Punjab University’s Fine Arts Department and completed a Bachelor’s of Fine Arts in painting. During her university days, she had interaction with theatre groups such as Natak, led by Dr Ahmed Bilal, which was a university-based theatre group consisting of students.
She had interactions with Amjad Islam Amjad, Qavi Khan and other senior actors who used to visit the university for lectures. In her early years of performing art, she did about four or five Pakistan television plays. She also extensively did socially relevant and objective theatre those days.
