Victims were sedated before attack: police

Police investigating the grisly killing of a woman and her three children in Surjani Town suspect that the victims may have been rendered unconscious with a sedative before being subjected to fatal blows, as post-mortem examinations revealed multiple severe injuries to their heads and brains. The investigation into the killings is under way, with police examining CCTV footage, mobile phone records, forensic evidence and other aspects of the case. The murder weapon has not yet been recovered. The victims were identified as 34-year-old Mahwish, her six-year-old son Hasnain, eight-year-old daughter Mirha and two-and-a-half-year-old daughter Ashmira. Mahwish and her two children were found dead inside their home in Sector 7-D, Surjani Town on Monday night, while Ashmira was critically injured. She later succumbed to her injuries at JPMC. Police Surgeon Dr Summaiya Syed told The Express Tribune that the post-mortem examinations of Mahwish and her three children had been completed and the bodies handed over to the heirs. All four victims had sustained multiple severe injuries to the head and brain, she said, adding that the blows inflicted on the heads of the victims had caused extensive damage to their brain tissues. Samples collected from the bodies have been sent for chemical examination to determine whether the victims had been administered any intoxicating or sedative substance before the attack. The presence of any such substance would be confirmed through the chemical examination report, Dr Summaiya said. Police officials said they suspected that the mother and children may have been rendered unconscious before being attacked. Investigators believe the killings were carried out with considerable planning and that the attacker or attackers attempted to conceal evidence. One line of investigation being pursued is that the victims were assaulted at the same location after being rendered unconscious, police said. The case was registered against unidentified suspects on the complaint of Muhammad Yamin, Mahwish's father-in-law, at Surjani Town police station. The incident came to light when Mahwish's husband, Danish, returned home from work on Monday night. According to Mahwish's brother Noman, Danish works as an electrician at a shopping centre on Rashid Minhas Road. Noman said Danish found the house dark when he arrived. After switching on the lights, he discovered the blood-soaked bodies of his wife and two children, while Ashmira was found critically injured. Danish then alerted his father, Noman and other relatives by telephone and called the police emergency helpline 15. Investigators initially suspected that the family could have been targeted during a robbery. However, Noman said all household belongings appeared to be in place and nothing indicated that a robbery had taken place. "There was no robbery," he said. Danish was taken into custody and questioned by police during the initial investigation. DIG West Zone Irfan Ali Baloch has constituted an eight-member committee, headed by SSP District West Tariq Elahi Mastoi, to investigate the brutal killing of Mahwish, and her three young children.