Karachi [Pakistan], November 19 : The body of an unidentified woman was discovered inside a water drum on an empty plot in Karachi's Defence Housing Authority Phase VII, as confirmed by police and hospital authorities on Saturday, Dawn reported.
Shaukat Awan, the Station House Officer (SHO) of Defence Police Station, told Dawn that the woman's body, wrapped in a plastic bag, was found near Fatima Masjid. Preliminary investigations suggested foul play in the woman's demise, although Awan awaited the coroner's official findings before making conclusive statements.
Dr Summaiya Syed, the Police Surgeon at Jinnah Postgraduate Medical Centre (JPMC), said that the woman's body, with her mouth bound by a cloth, was brought to the medical facility the previous night. Dr Syed mentioned that samples were collected for further analysis, and the exact cause of death would be determined upon receipt of the reports. She estimated the victim to be in her 30s.
South Deputy Inspector General (DIG) Syed Asad Raza later disclosed that, based on initial investigations, the victim was identified as a domestic worker in DHA. He revealed that the woman resided with a man in Qayyumabad, noting that the man worked as a driver for a Chinese national in DHA, and both were considered suspects after disappearing.
The DIG mentioned that the man reported to the security guards that the woman had been "murdered" by another man, vowing not to spare him. Police treated both men as suspects and were actively trying to locate the victim's family in southern Punjab.
Earlier, the police surgeon had remarked on the advanced state of decomposition of the victim's body, while SHO Awan stated that the police had gathered "significant clues" regarding the woman's identity and the potential motive behind the alleged murder.
This incident follows a recent case where a newly married woman was found shot dead in Karachi's DHA, prompting investigations into whether it was a suicide or murder. In the past month, a 35-year-old woman was shot dead in Orangi Town over a "personal dispute," and in September, a woman was allegedly shot by her husband in the name of 'honour' in the same area.
According to a report by the National Commission of Human Rights, approximately 63,000 cases of gender-based violence were reported in Pakistan over the past three years, Dawn reported.
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