The case of three women who were found dead in mysterious circumstances inside a Gulshan-e-Iqbal flat in Karachi has taken a major turn after the detained father and son confessed to the killings.
Officers have now formally arrested both suspects. Police say the two men cite severe financial problems as the reason for the murders, while investigators are reviewing all aspects of the case.
Earlier the family had reportedly committed mass suicide under the strain of financial debt, a note written by hand by one of the victims has said. Statements from the head of the family, who survived the poisoning, seem to corroborate the suicide.
Three women were discovered dead inside a flat in Gulshan-e-Iqbal Block 1 Karachi on Sunday: 52-year-old Samina, her 19-year-old daughter Samreen, and her 22-year-old daughter-in-law Maha.
Samina’s son, Muhammad Yaseen, was found unconscious at the scene and transported to the hospital; the incident was apparently initially reported by his father Muhammad Iqbal.
Iqbal and Yaseen have been identified as major suspects in the case, and police have made significant progress in their investigation.
Authorities were informed by Yaseen that he and his father were originally going to consume the poison together, but his father backed out after watching Yaseen’s condition deteriorate.
Authorities are examining a handwritten letter allegedly written by Samina, in which she claimed that mounting debt had driven the family toward suicide.
Its authenticity is still under verification. Another letter recovered from Iqbal is also being analyzed, while autopsy reports for the deceased women are awaited.
The family owed more over Rs15 million in debt, according to investigators, and police had already received a complaint about an additional Rs7.5 million debt. On Tuesday, a police team returned to the apartment and found more evidence.
According to initial investigations, the family may have made the decision to take their own life because of extreme financial strain.
SHO Gulshan-e-Iqbal Naeem Rajput said that toxic medications and rodent- killing chemicals were discovered at the scene.
Police believe these substances were mixed into a drink and given to the women.
