KARACHI: An 18-year-old newlywed girl was found dead under suspicious circumstances on the rooftop of a house in DHA Karachi on Monday evening, prompting police to detain several relatives for interrogation, officials confirmed on Tuesday.
South Deputy Inspector General (DIG) Syed Asad Raza told Dawn that the girl — married to a government employee posted in Malir Cantonment — was discovered on the rooftop of a building in Badar Commercial, DHA Phase 5. A dupatta was found knotted around her neck twice.
She was first taken to a private clinic in DHA and later shifted to a Clifton hospital, where doctors declared her dead. Her body was then transported to Jinnah Postgraduate Medical Centre (JPMC) for medico-legal formalities.
The couple had reportedly moved to Karachi from Sialkot two weeks earlier and were staying at the girl’s aunt’s residence in Badar Commercial. According to DIG Raza, the victim went to the rooftop on Monday evening but did not return for an extended period. When her aunt went upstairs to check, she found the teenager lying unconscious near a water tank with the dupatta tied around her neck.
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The aunt immediately called her son, and together they rushed the girl to a hospital.
The victim’s father — also a government employee — arrived at JPMC later that night and alleged that his daughter had been murdered by strangulation. “The aunt’s sons are found suspects in this case and detained for interrogation,” DIG Raza said, adding that investigators were awaiting the doctors’ final medico-legal report to determine the exact sequence of events.
Police surgeon Dr Summaiya Syed, who conducted the initial examination, told Dawn that there were “strong suspicions about sexual violence”, though all relevant samples had been collected for forensic analysis. She confirmed that the cause of death was constriction of the neck.
Police say the nature of injuries, the circumstances of discovery and conflicting accounts from relatives have led investigators to treat the case as suspicious, with foul play not being ruled out. The detained suspects are being questioned, and further action will depend on forensic findings and statements recorded during the investigation.
The incident has raised alarm in the neighbourhood and among women’s rights advocates, who have urged authorities to conduct a transparent probe to ensure justice for the young victim.
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