KARACHI, Dec 11: A businessman and a woman were found dead under mysterious circumstances in a partially-burnt bungalow in Defence on Tuesday, police said.

Though a younger brother of the businessman lodged a murder case against unknown culprits, police suspected that Nasir Majeed, 45, and Amber Sehar, 30, were suffocated to death.

Darakhshan police said a neighbour called the fire brigade at around 6.30am when smoke started emitting from a house in Street-32 of Defence Phase-V. They said that rescue workers put out the fire and later discovered the two bodies in a bathroom. The bodies were taken to the Jinnah Postgraduate Medical Centre for the post-mortem examination. Hospital sources said both victims apparently died of suffocation as their bodies did not bear any mark of torture or struggle.

Dr Nasreen, medico-legal officer at the JPMC, told Dawn that the dead woman was wearing jeans and a top. She said the cause of the death had been reserved till the report of the chemical examination. Sources privy to the preliminary investigation said the woman was a divorcee and lived with her son in Clifton’s Florida Homes.

Police said Nasir Majeed was married and lived with his family in another house on the same street. Quoting his heirs, the police said that the woman was his friend and the two used to spend time in the house he had got on rent. SP Clifton Asif Aijaz said the victim had rented the house from a friend living abroad. “Investigations are still at a very initial stage and it is yet to be ascertained whether the two died incidentally or were murdered,” he added.