KARACHI, June 21: Mystery surrounds the death of a businessman, Tariq Akhtar Allahwala, who died during a robbery at his office in Defence, Phase-2 Extension, on Thursday.

However, police are awaiting the report of chemical test which would confirm whether he was given poison through injection.

The family did not allow autopsy and took the body home from Jinnah Postgraduate Medical Centre (JPMC), but the blood sample had been taken and sent to chemical test to ascertain the presence of poison in the blood, sources close to the family said.

The sources said there was no one in the room when the incident took place, so nothing certain could be said about it. A bruise was there on his hand which showed that poison was injected into his body. Nothing was, however, concrete, they added.

Police believed that Tariq died of a heart attack, and poison was not injected into his body.

Tariq Akhtar Allahwala of Taro International died in mysterious circumstances during a robbery at his office in Defence Phase-2 Extension, on Thursday.

Police said four armed men barged into Tariq’s office at 20-C, South Avenue, Phase-2 Extension, DHA. The armed men collected cash from staff members and locked them up in the washroom. The bandits held Tariq hostage at gunpoint in the conference room of the office, and they shut his mouth with scotch tape.

Police said the four armed men got away with cash and three mobile phones.

Later, the staff managed to escape from the washroom and took Tariq to a private hospital. But he died on way to the hospital, the investigation officer of the case said.

The body was sent to JPMC for post-mortem, but the family did not allow autopsy and took the body home, the IO said. There was no sign on Tariq’s body that could suggest that he put up resistance to the bandits. The family also confirmed that he had a history of heart ailment, the IO said.

On Friday the family buried Tariq in PECHS graveyard.

SOOMRO: Sindh Governor Mohammedmian Soomro has expressed his sorrow over the death of Tariq Akhtar Allahwala, adds APP.