Karachi reels from yet another horrific case of violence against a minor
KARACHI – July 11, 2025
In a heartbreaking incident that has sent shockwaves through Karachi’s Khokhrapar neighbourhood, a 16-year-old girl was brutally murdered on Thursday afternoon, reportedly while carrying lunch to her father.
The teenage girl, identified as Areeba, was found dead in a narrow street near Madina Masjid in the D-1 sector of Khokhrapar — a densely populated and under-resourced part of the city. According to police officials, Areeba had suffered severe torture before being strangled to death with a scarf.
“She had cooked porridge for her father and was on her way to deliver it to him when she went missing,” said SHO Allah Bachayo, the area’s station house officer. Her body was discovered shortly afterwards, dumped near a construction site just a few doors down from where her uncle lives.
The gruesome discovery has left residents of the area shaken. Police found one of her slippers near an unfinished building in the same street. Her father, devastated and distraught, identified it as belonging to his daughter. Moments later, the porridge Areeba had prepared was found thrown aside — another painful reminder of how quickly a simple daily chore turned into a tragedy.
“There are only three or four houses in the immediate area, one of which is still under construction. That’s where we found the first signs — the slipper and later the food container,” SHO Bachayo added.
Preliminary examination of the body revealed clear signs of torture, and the scarf used in the strangulation was still wrapped around her neck when police arrived at the scene. The body was moved to the Jinnah Postgraduate Medical Centre for autopsy and medico-legal procedures.
According to police surgeon Dr. Summaiya Syed, the full post-mortem report is still pending.
Police sources also confirmed that three individuals have been taken into custody for questioning. Investigators are combing through evidence and speaking with neighbours to piece together what happened in the final moments of Areeba’s life. Her parents, it was noted, had been separated for the past six years.
While no motive has yet been officially determined, the brutality of the murder has once again highlighted the dangers faced by young girls in vulnerable communities — particularly in areas where law enforcement is often overburdened and under-resourced.
Patel Para Horror: Man Fatally Stabbed, Brother on the Run
In a separate incident just hours later, a 40-year-old man was stabbed to death allegedly by his own brother in the Patel Para locality of Karachi.
According to police reports, the victim, Dilawar, was preparing tea in the kitchen of their home when his brother Jehangir attacked him with a knife during what appears to have been a sudden altercation. The attacker fled the scene with the weapon in hand and is currently being sought by police.
Jamshed Quarters SHO Anser Ahmed Butt confirmed the incident, adding that a manhunt is underway to apprehend the suspect.
Both cases serve as a chilling reminder of the escalating violence and fragility of safety in urban neighbourhoods, even in broad daylight. Families in these communities continue to grapple not only with economic hardship but also with the growing fear that their loved ones are not safe — even while performing the most ordinary of tasks.
As Karachi mourns the loss of a young girl with her whole life ahead of her and a man whose final moments were spent in his own kitchen, citizens are once again asking: how many more lives must be lost before justice, protection, and accountability become a reality?
