HYDERABAD, Aug 25: Five members of a family were murdered in a house in Shahi Bazaar, Tando Mohammad Khan, in the wee hours of Saturday.

Some unidentified assailants entered the house of Chaudhry Ghulam Mohammad by scaling a wall after midnight and killed the family members with sharp weapons and firearms.

The deceased have been identified as Shamshad Begum (65), wife of Chaudhry Ghulam Mohammad; daughters Nazish (27) and Rukhsana (24); and sons Ali (23) and Mohammad Tariq (21).

Ghulam Mohammad was in Rahim Yar Khan to attend a wedding ceremony of one of his relatives when the incident took place.

The information about the murders was given by house mate Hanifa when she entered the house at about 10:30am.

Thousands of people gathered outside residence of the victims after hearing the news of the murders.

The incident created harassment and panic in the town and the entire city was paralysed. The business community pulled down shutters of their shops and all the business houses remained closed to protest against the incident.

DCO Amir Ali Behan, DPO Muneer Ahmed Shaikh, naib district nazim, Pir Ashfaq Ahmed Khan Sarhandi, president of traders federation Ismail Memon and other notables of the town reached the spot to look into the matter.

Tando Allahyar JSQM President Abdur Rehman Halepoto has announced a one-day strike and a day of mourning to condemn the murders.

DPO Tando Mohammad Khan Muneer Ahmed Shaikh told Dawn that preliminary inquiry suggests that the murders are the result of some family dispute.

He said investigation teams have been formed to find out the motive of the murders.

He said an FIR would be registered on return of Chaudhry Ghulam Mohammad from Rahim Yar Khan.