KARACHI – A young man, identified as Irfan, reportedly died in the custody of the Special Investigation Unit (SIU) police, allegedly due to torture.
According to Express News, Irfan was taken into custody along with three friends from Ayesha Manzil on Wednesday morning. His family was informed of his death the following evening when his uncle was called to the SIU office.
Following the incident, Irfan’s relatives staged a protest outside the CIA Center in Saddar, accusing SIU officials of torturing him to death. The family claimed Irfan, a resident of Bahawalpur, had come to Karachi for the first time on a leisure trip. After having breakfast at Ayesha Manzil, he was making videos with friends when the police detained them, allegedly confiscating their phones.
Relatives said Irfan’s parents are in Bahawalpur, and his mother’s condition worsened after receiving the news. They demanded justice from the Sindh Chief Minister and Inspector General of Police.
Karachi Police Chief Javed Alam Odho said an inquiry had been ordered and assured that legal action would be taken if police personnel were found responsible. The postmortem was conducted under a magistrate’s supervision to determine the cause of death.
According to SHO Chaudhry Zahid, police were alerted by Jinnah Hospital about an unidentified body left there. When officers arrived, SIU personnel were already present along with a magistrate. He added that no contact had yet been made by the victim’s family, and the investigation was being handled by the SIU.
Meanwhile, SSP SIU Amjad Sheikh confirmed that a departmental inquiry is underway and that seven officers, including one senior official, have been suspended.
Postmortem reports revealed multiple injury marks on Irfan’s body. Police Surgeon Dr. Samia Tariq said samples had been preserved for chemical analysis, and the exact cause of death would be determined after the forensic reports are received.
