By Imran Ayub
KARACHI: A senior nurse was found strangled in her staff colony apartment of the Kulsum Bai Valika Social Security Hospital in SITE in the early hours of Friday with her hands and feet tied and face wrapped in pieces of cloth.
The killing of 58-year-old Sakina Bibi, associated with the provincial government health facility for more than two decades, left no clue for the police as well as her family members, but they were sure that no robbery attempt was behind the strangulation of the woman, who lived alone.
“It’s simply a planned murder executed by an unprofessional killer,” said Sub-Inspector Rao Rafiq, the SHO of the SITE-A police station. “When neighbours smelled a stench from her apartment, they informed us and we sent over a police party that forced its way into the apartment. The police found the woman lying dead on the floor with her hands and feet tied with pieces of cloth and face also wrapped in cloth. A piece of cloth was also stuffed in the mouth.”
Another official associated with the police station’s investigation section said the police thoroughly searched the ground-floor apartment and found everything in order, with no trace of robbery.
“We found even some cash and valuables untouched,” he said. “We have collected a few items from the home to obtain fingerprints and sealed the flat for further investigation.”
Though the relatives of the victim disallowed an autopsy of the body at the Abbasi Shaheed Hospital, the police registered a case (FIR 872/2009) under Sections 302 (premeditated murder) and 34 (common intention) of the Pakistan Penal Code on the complaint of Sakina Bibi’s paternal cousin, Malik Mastoor Hussain.
“We are clueless about the motive for the murder,” Mr Hussain told Dawn. “We avoided a post-mortem examination of the body as we believe bodies are not respected during such examinations. She was divorced many years ago and had no issue.”
He said that like other family members and relatives, he also was unsure about the motive for her murder, as the woman was a mild-mannered person, who had no personal enmity with anyone.
The police suspected that the victim was killed by persons who knew Sakina Bibi. The administration of the health facility said she was a senior member of the hospital and was highly respected among the staff.
“She was designated as senior aid nurse,” said Dr Captain Akhtar Butt, the medical superintendent of the Kulsum Bai Valika Social Security Hospital. “There are some 80 flats in our staff colony and it’s first such incident registered since the hospital came into being decades ago. We can’t speculate at this point as the police are trying to determine the motive and track down the person behind the murder.”
Source: Dawn
Date:12/5/2009