SAHIWAL: The bodies of two minor brothers were recovered on Friday from a tin trunk in their house at Bashera village of Sahiwal tehsil, hours after they allegedly went missing.

Initial police investigation suggested the boys got asphyxiated after hiding in a trunk out of fear, during a violent quarrel between their parents on the previous night.

However, Bahadar Shah Police expressed doubts over the parents’ claim after the medical examination of the bodies indicated that the siblings had died approximately 48 hours ago.

As per the police, samples from the bodies have been sent for forensic analysis and they were waiting for the report to ascertain the death cause and the time.

Reports say, Muhammad Sarwar and his wife Maifia, residents of Bashera village, have been married for 10 years and have five children.

As per their neighbours, the couple has a long history of violent domestic quarrels, often requiring community intervention.

On Thursday night, Sarwar allegedly beat Maifia with a stick during a heated quarrel, while their children looked on. When the couple calmed down, they discovered that two of their children -- Ali Hassan (6) and Ali Haider (8) -- were missing.

Despite searching for them in the neighbourhood, and making announcements in the village mosques, the parents found no clue to the missing children.

The couple then reported the matter to Bahadur Shah police, which started investigation.

During the investigation, when the police searched the complainants’ house, they found a tin trunk in a room. On opening the trunk, the police found the bodies of the two children in it.

The sources say that initial medical examination revealed that the bodies were over 48-hour old, contradicting the parents claim that the children had gone missing 24 hours ago.

The police have handed over the bodies to the family after completing legal formalities under Section 174 and were continuing with investigation, focusing on forensic evidence, the sources say.

Published in Dawn, May 2nd, 2026