• Bodies found in victims’ home in Ghaghar Phatak
• Police say couple moved to Karachi eight months ago
• Investigators suspect woman’s relatives behind brutal killings
• CM, home minister order inquiry and arrest of culprits

KARACHI: A man and his wife, who had married of their own free will in their native town of Lasbela over five years ago, and their minor son were murdered on the outskirts of the metropolis on Wednesday, police said.

They identified the victims as Abdul Majeed, 30, Sakina, 25, and their four-year-old son, Abdul Nabi, and said they were axed to death in their home in the Ghaghar Phatak area within the remit of the Steel Town police station.

Area SHO Aslam Billu told Dawn that an alleged killer phoned Majeed’s brother, Imam Bux, telling him that they had killed the family and that he should go there and bury them.

He said that Imam Bux and Majeed’s other brother, Qurban, had been living with the victims in Karachi but had recently returned to their home in Lasbela for agricultural purposes.

Qurban phoned his friend, Munawar Abro, to visit his brother’s home and ascertain the facts. When Abro reached there, he found the three family members brutally murdered inside their home. He informed the brothers and the police, who arrived at the scene and shifted the bodies to the Jinnah Postgraduate Medical Centre for medico-legal formalities.

Investigators collected two axes used in the murders and other evidence from the crime scene. SHO Billu said they suspected that the couple and their son might have been given sedatives before the killing, as neighbours told police that they had not heard any cries or sounds.

He said that during the initial probe, it transpired that the couple had married of their own free will in Lasbela a couple of years ago and Sakina’s parents were reportedly against the marriage.

The couple, along with their son, had moved to the city around eight months ago, he said.

The SHO added that there were also reports that Sakina’s family had reached an “understanding” and they had also visited them in the city around a month ago.

He said that Sakina’s brother had also been seen shopping with the couple in the Ghaghar Phatak area on Tuesday.

However, it appeared that the relatives had not truly resolved their differences with the couple as preliminary investigations revealed the triple murder was allegedly carried out by Sakina’s relatives, the SHO said.

The police were awaiting for legal heirs to lodge an FIR and initiate formal legal proceedings.

Meanwhile, Sindh Chief Minister Murad Ali Shah took notice of the incident and ordered an immediate inquiry and the arrest of the killers, said a spokesperson.

Separately, Home Minister Ziaul Hasan Lanjar also ordered an inquiry to ascertain every possible aspect of the gruesome murder and the immediate arrest of the killers.

The home minister also directed that peace in the area be ensured, the spokesperson added.

Published in Dawn, July 31st, 2025