A mother resisted. Then came a macabre bloodbath

A routine afternoon at a Surjani Town home turned into a scene of unimaginable horror when, according to police, a woman's resistance to an attempted sexual assault set off a chain of macabre violence that ended with her and her three young children bludgeoned to death. Three days later, investigators claim they have arrested the man responsible - a relative the family knew and trusted. Thirty-four-year-old Mahwish was at home with her 18-month-old daughter on September 14 when the suspect, Humayun, her husband Danish's brother-in-law, allegedly arrived at the house in Sector 7-D of Surjani Town. Police say he had previously lived there as a tenant and had been harbouring intentions towards Mahwish. What began with a visit allegedly escalated into an assault after she resisted him. The horror did not end with Mahwish's killing. Police say the suspect then turned on her children - eight-year-old Marha, six-year-old Hasnain, and 18-month-old Ashmira - allegedly killing them one after another and arranging their bodies on the sofas in an attempt to conceal the crime and make it appear as though the family had been killed elsewhere. "The suspect was sexually attracted towards the woman and wanted to assault her," DIG West Zone Irfan Ali Baloch told a news conference alongside District West SSP Tariq Elahi Mastoi and SP Investigation Masroor Jatoi on Thursday. According to DIG Baloch, the suspect had lived as a tenant at Danish's house around one-and-a-half years ago, but was evicted after Danish found out that Humayun had allegedly developed an interest in Mahwish. However, Humayun continued visiting the family and allegedly made repeated attempts to contact Mahwish, the DIG added. On the day of the incident, Humayun allegedly reached Danish's house at around 2pm, knowing that Danish was away. Mahwish served him tea and asked him to bring some items from the market. When he returned, the woman's two elder children had left for their madrassah, leaving Mahwish and her toddler daughter at home. The suspect allegedly attempted to sexually assault Mahwish, but she resisted and slapped him, leading to a scuffle. During the confrontation, Humayun allegedly picked up an iron rod and struck her, killing her on the spot. The toddler began crying after witnessing the incident. The suspect allegedly hit the child's head against a wall, leaving her unconscious, and assumed that she had died, the DIG said. At around 3pm, the two elder children returned from the madrassah and began screaming after seeing their mother and sister. Humayun allegedly attacked both children with the same iron rod before placing all four victims on sofas to make it appear that they had been killed there. The suspect allegedly washed the iron rod and his hands in the bathroom, cleaned blood stains from the floor and left the house at around 6pm after changing his clothes. He allegedly threw the iron rod into a drain before returning to his home. He further added that the suspect returned to the crime scene after his wife informed him about the killings, pretending that he had no knowledge of the incident. Police arrested him on the basis of eyewitness accounts and technical evidence, DIG Baloch said, adding that the suspect allegedly confessed during interrogation. The DIG said Humayun allegedly switched off his mobile phone before leaving for Danish's house, left his motorcycle at home and travelled by a rickshaw. He allegedly got off at a specific point and walked to the house. He also did not operate his catering stall on the day of the incident, DIG Baloch added. A neighbour allegedly saw Humayun at the house when he arrived, while another eyewitness saw him leaving the premises after the killings.