KARACHI, Aug 3: The bullet-riddled bodies of the two girls which were found in the Defence Housing Authority on Monday, have been identified, and the police apprehend that the double murder might be a cause of some family dispute.

The victims have been identified as Sumaira, 24, and Anila, 20, and both are cousins. The relatives of the two ill-fated girls visited the Edhi’s morgue at Sohrab Goth and recognized the bodies. The police believed that it was not a case of kidnapping, but the double murder might be an outcome of a family dispute as the mother of Sumaira had solemnized her nikah with a man against the will of her father.

“We are looking towards every aspect, and will question the family members, as well as neighbours to find a clue to the killers,” said an investigator. The bodies were found at a derelict place near the DHA College for Women in Phase-VIII. Police thought the girls might have been killed somewhere else and the killers might have dumped the bodies later in the bushes.

Anila had received three bullet wounds while Sumaira had suffered five- wounds, police said and added according to postmortem report, no resistance mark was found on Sumaira’s body.

Sumaira is the daughter of Lala Zameen Khan, a resident of Massan Road, Bhutta Village, Keamari. However, her cousin Anila, a resident of Swabi, had come to Karachi with her mother, brothers and sisters some 20 days back to see her cousins.

Anila stayed at her maternal grandfather’s home, near Sumaira’s home. Anila’s father is a head constable in NWFP.

Sumaira and Anila, according to family members, had left home between 3pm and 5pm on Sunday for the residence of their maternal uncle Bashir Khan in a nearby street, and when they did not turn up till late in the night, the family members asked Bashir about Sumera and Anila. They, however, came to know that the girls never visited Bashir’s home on Sunday. The family said they looked for the girls everywhere but failed to locate them. On Wednesday, they were shown photographs of the girls in a newspaper by a neighbour.

However, neighbours contested the family claims and said the two girls had left home in the afternoon with other family members, who perhaps had planned to a visit to some recreation spot. They said the family returned, but they did not notice as to whether the two girls were with the family.

According to initial investigations, the police said Sumaira’s father had been in the Middle East and had returned some eight months back. In his absence, Sumaira’s mother had solemnized her nikah with Shaukat, who was employed in Dubai, and had come to Karachi then.

Lala Zameen strongly objected to the match and when he returned to Karachi, and he also refused his daughter’s Rukhsati.

The investigators said since his arrival in Karachi, Lala had been driving a taxi. But when the police asked him about his taxi, he failed to give a satisfactory reply. The investigators said Lala might be hiding something.

“The taxi is missing and Lala is not cooperating. We will inquire about it later as presently he is busy in the burial of his daughter,” said an investigator.

The investigators said the taxi might have been used to dump bodies and had it been happened, the police may find bloodstains in the taxi.

According to Edhi, they handed over the bodies after legal formalities. Sumaira was buried in Keamari while the body of Anila has been sent to Swabi.