December 20, 2025
By Iqra Manzoor
LAHORE
A young woman was found dead inside a house in Surjani Town, Karachi, late Wednesday, in a murder case that has left the local community stunned. Police have named her former fiancé as the prime suspect, who remains at large.
The victim, Komal, aged 19/20 according to varying accounts, was discovered with severe head and facial injuries inside a house in Taiser Town, Surjani Town, Sector 50-E. An iron wrench or pipe suspected to be the murder weapon was recovered near the body.
Mother alleges murder linked to reconciliation
An FIR has been registered against her ex-fiancé and cousin, Rashid Magsi, following a complaint lodged by Komal’s mother, Rafiya, wife of late Ghulam Hussain.
According to Rafiya’s statement to police, Komal had been engaged to Rashid about a year earlier before he moved to Dubai for work. Months later, she married another man, Farhan, but domestic disputes led her to reconnect with Rashid over the phone. Rafiya said that around 15 days ago, Rashid brought Komal back to her family home, where he had been staying for the last three days.
She said she left home on December 16, leaving Rashid and Komal behind. When she returned around 9pm on December 17, she found Komal’s body lying on a mattress, bloodied and severely injured. Rashid was missing, and his phone was switched off. Rafiya later learned that Rashid had called his mother in Larkana, confessing to the murder and warning the family to leave the house before police arrived. The family contacted Madadgar 15, and Komal’s body was shifted to hospital.
Reportedly, Komal had sought khula from Farhan in court after Rashid returned from Dubai and re-established contact with her, allegedly promising marriage. Investigators further allege that Rashid raped Komal for three days before repeatedly striking her on the head with a heavy iron rod on Wednesday night, killing her before fleeing.
Officers say Komal’s parents were visiting relatives at the time of the incident. The victim’s parents’ home and crime location are reportedly near each other.
Investigation officer describes honour-based motive
Komal’s murder case investigation officer, Narejo, told Voicepk that both Komal and Rashid belonged to the Magsi tribe from Larkana and were related. “Both accused and victim were relatives and they originally belonged to the Baloch tribe, Magsi from Larkana. Both of them got engaged and after engagement Rashid went to Dubai, but Komal married Farhan and not Rashid,” he said.
Narejo added that Komal had recently separated from her husband. “Around two months ago, Komal had taken khula from her husband, Farhan and was living at her mother’s home. Rashid Magsi came back from Dubai and was living at Komal’s mother’s home where Komal was also staying. One day when the mother went outside and nobody was at home, Rashid murdered Komal with the spanner and that has also been taken into custody,” he stated.
The officer said medico-legal results were still pending. “Post-mortem has been performed but we are waiting for the final reports now. I cannot confirm about the rape yet, but it was suspected that Rashid has raped Komal before murdering her so we have taken that into consideration as well but can only confirm after the final medical reports,” he told Voicepk.
He also shared the motive behind the killing. “The investigation reveals that Rashid did all of this on his brother’s instructions and it is an ‘honour killing’. He was engaged with Komal but Komal did not marry him, instead married Farhan. That is the reason he killed Komal,” Narejo said.
Suspect on the run; police launch raids
Police confirmed that raids are underway to arrest the suspect. The investigation is ongoing.
Speaking to Voicepk, police officer Muhammad Farooq Malik of Surjani Police Station said, “The accused is still on the run and raids are underway to arrest him as soon as possible.”
Violence against women in Sindh
The murder comes at a time when violence against women in Sindh continues to surge. Recent factsheet data compiled by the Sustainable Social Development Organization (SSDO) — collected through Right to Information requests from the police department — shows alarming numbers of rape, harassment, physical assault, kidnapping and honour killings across the province.
Between January and June, a total of 3,505 cases of violence against women were registered in Sindh. These include 331 rape cases, 2,439 kidnappings, 201 honour killings, 329 cases of physical abuse, and 205 cases of harassment.
Yet, despite thousands of complaints, conviction rates remain extremely low. Out of all cases recorded in this period, only 20 ended in convictions — a mere 0.6 percent. Another 79 cases resulted in acquittals, and 477 were withdrawn.
Meanwhile, 982 cases are still under investigation, and 1,165 are under trial.
The data suggests an average of 23 women faced violence every day in Sindh during the past six months. On average, 16 women were kidnapped daily.
Rights groups say the gap between reporting and justice continues to widen, leaving women acutely vulnerable, especially in cases involving intimate partners or family members — as appears to be the case in Komal’s killing.