Seven-year-old boy missing for 11 days found dead in water tank in New Karachi: police – Pakistan

A seven-year-old boy who had been missing for over a week in Karachi was found dead in the underground water tank of a residential complex near his home on Saturday with a police surgeon saying the death was not accidental as the body bore multiple injuries.

In the past few days, three children have been abducted from the city and the incidents have created an environment of fear and insecurity among the citizens, prompting the Sindh chief minister and home minister to take notice of the kidnappings.

On January 7, seven-year-old Mohammed Sarim, who had gone to a madressah for lessons near his North Karachi home, went missing and a ransom call had reportedly been made to the family for his release. The Sindh governor had assured Sarim’s mother on Thursday that her son would be recovered “very soon”.

However, a statement from the Bilal Colony police today said that Sarim’s body was recovered from a water tank at Anam Apartments in New Karachi.

Central Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP) Zeeshan Shafiq Siddiqi told Dawn.com that on the day the boy went missing, police and the victim’s family had searched the same tank but could not find him due to the large quantity of water.

“For the past two to three days, there was no water supply,” Shafiq said. “The plumber said today that a bad smell was emanating from the tank. The body was found floating in it.”

The body was taken to Abbasi Shaheed Hospital (ASH) for a postmortem report and further investigation is underway, the SSP added.

Police surgeon Dr Summaiya Syed told Dawn.com that the body was received by the Medicolegal Section at ASH for a postmortem.

“He had been missing since January 7,” Dr Syed said. “[The] postmortem has been carried out and multiple injuries have been noted. All relevant swabs and samples have been collected.”

She added that a conclusive opinion and cause of death “will be issued after reports”.

When asked if the incident was a homicide, Dr Syed replied, “At present, all I can say is that the presence of multiple injuries on the body, including the neck, suggests that it is not an accidental death.”

According to an August report by Sahil, a non-governmental organisation (NGO) working for children’s rights, a total of 1,630 cases of child abuse were reported across the country in 2024.

In the first six months of 2024, 862 cases of child sexual abuse, 668 cases of abduction, 82 cases of missing children and 18 cases of child marriages were reported.

The six-monthly data showed that out of the total reported cases, (962) 59 per cent of victims were girls while (668) 41pc were boys.