KARACHI: Bodies of a woman and three children have been found hanging inside a house near Machhar Colony in Karachi’s Sohrab Goth, police said on Sunday.

A statement issued by Sohrab Goth police said a crime scene unit had visited the site and further investigation was under way.

Police surgeon Dr Summaiya Syed said Sohrab Goth police brought the bodies of the woman, 35 and her children, aged 10, 3 and 2, for post-mortem examination at Abbasi Shaheed Hospital.

“We have collected all samples for chemical analysis,” said Dr Syed, adding that the cause of death has been reserved until reports are issued.

East Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP) Zubair Nazir Shaikh told Dawn that there was no sign of a quarrel at the site of the incident, nor did neighbours say they heard a struggle.

“The husband told police that he worked at New Subzi Mandi and had left for work at around 4am on Sunday,” SSP Shaikh said. “When he returned several hours later, he saw his wife and three children dead.”

The SSP said police are waiting for post-mortem findings, “as it would be premature at this stage to reach any final conclusion”.

Another police officer, Sohrab Goth Deputy Superintendent of Police (DSP) Aurangzeb Khattak, told Dawn that the woman allegedly killed the children by hanging them, before ending her life over domestic issues.

“The woman was an Afghan national, while her husband originally hailed from Punjab. She was reportedly emotionally disturbed [and] allegedly used to beat the children,” DSP Khattak said.

“Her husband sometimes, in a fit of anger, used to threaten her that he would marry another woman if she did not stop beating the children.”

The DSP clarified that police have not detained the husband, but said he was being questioned.

“The man told police that when he returned from his job at New Subzi Mandi and knocked on the door, he did not receive any response,” the officer said. “When he climbed the wall, he saw their bodies hanging inside the room.”

Meanwhile, Sindh Home Minister Ziaul Hassan Lanjar took notice of the incident and sought details of the case from the East senior superintendent of police (SSP), a statement by the minister’s office said.

According to the statement, he directed the official to investigate the case from all angles.

The reasons behind the crime should be identified and suspects should be dealt with in accordance with the law, Lanjar was quoted as saying.

He added that the suspects should be identified and arrested at the earliest.

Moreover, justice for the affected family and a transparent investigation into the matter should be ensured, he said.

Earlier this month, three women were found dead in an apartment in Karachi’s Gulshan-i-Iqbal. Police had declared the mysterious deaths a case of homicide.