KARACHI: Police have set up a dedicated team to investigate the deaths of five members of a family whose bodies were found at their home near Gulshan-e-Hadeed, as forensic examinations get under way.
Malir Police say the team will include the DSPs of Bin Qasim and Malir City, an IT in-charge and two station house officers. A formal notification setting up the team is expected shortly.
Investigators will examine the forensic evidence, look into Shahzaib’s personal relationships and trace the purchase of the house where the bodies were found. They will also record statements from his close friends, including why some of them had recently ended contact with him.
The mobile phones and the pistol recovered from the house will be sent for forensic examination. Police will also study footage recorded by officers on their arrival at the scene, and samples will be sent for analysis after the initial medical report.
Police Surgeon Dr Summaiya Syed said on Wednesday that Shahzaib, aged about 35, and his wife Saba, aged between 28 and 30, each died from a gunshot wound to the head. The causes of death of the other three victims, his sister Shumaila and daughters Aizal and Arya, have been held back pending further reports.
Samples have been collected for gunshot residue testing, chemical analysis and DNA profiling. Dr Summaiya said the findings so far do not establish whether the deaths were suicide or murder, and no case has been registered yet.
Funeral prayers for the five were offered at Faizan-e-Madina Mosque in Gulshan-e-Hadeed, and the bodies were buried at a local cemetery in Bin Qasim Town.
Shahzaib’s cousin Ali told reporters the family had been estranged from him for five to six years. He said Shahzaib had recently sold a house and was preparing to move into another property worth Rs250 million. A close friend has urged police to trace money Shahzaib was said to have held.
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