WIFE MURDER

Artist Abdul Mohammad Ismail, better known as Gulgee, wife Zareen Gulgee and a maidservant were found murdered in their Clifton residence on Wednesday afternoon.

The information regarding the triple murder was given to police by the couple’s only son, Amin Gulgee, who lives in an adjoining portion of the house.

“Maidservant Aasia’s son had been coming for the past five days, asking why his mother had not returned home, but was being given unsatisfactory answers by the security guards. On Wednesday, Amin came to know that the man had been asking about his mother,” Niaz Khosa, a senior police official, told Dawn.

Amin entered his parents’ house from his portion of the premises and saw that a television in the living room was switched on. Then he broke the glass pane and saw his father’s body, Niaz Khosa added.

Before that, Amin had called a DSP, a friend of his, who advised him that this being his parents’ house, he could break the lock and get inside.

After finding his father’s body, Amin informed the SHO of the Boat Basin police station.

Amin told police that he had been wondering for the past five days why the gate of his parents’ house was locked and their car was not parked inside. He said he then pacified himself with the thought that they were away from home.

However, another police official quoted Amin Gulgee as saying that he had not gone to the parents’ place because of a tiff with them.

The body of Gulgee was found in the living room, that of his wife in the kitchen and the body of their servant was found in a small room adjacent to the kitchen, DIG Investigation Manzoor Ahmed Mughal told Dawn.

He said not a single valuable was missing from the house. “All valuables, including cash, jewelry and all of his paintings, are inside the house.”

The DIG ruled out an armed break-in. Recalling the scene, Mr Mughal said brushes and paints were found scattered all over the place.

The DIG pointed out that instead of rope, the “murderer used a cloth to strangulate the victims”. He said the bodies had decomposed and were sending out an unbearable stench.

Standing on the street outside, this reporter also felt the stench.

Capital City Police Chief Azhar Ali Farooqui told journalists waiting outside the house that three servants were unaccounted for and a car belonging to the couple was missing.

In reply to a question whether the police were treating the couple’s son Amin Gulgee as a suspect, the CCPO replied that at this stage he could make no comment.

POST-MORTEM: The bodies were shifted to the Jinnah Postgraduate Medical Centre for post-mortem.

Dr Abdul Razzak Shaikh, a medico-legal officer, said he had seen signs of two wounds probably inflicted with a blunt weapon. However, he said, the wounds were not such as could have caused death. He said Gulgee’s tongue was sandwiched between the teeth, suggesting that he might have been strangulated.

However, instead of a rope, a cloth had been used, the doctor said. He estimated that the bodies were three to five days old.

The post-mortem of Zareen Gulgee and Aasia, the maidservant, were carried out by Dr Nasreen, another medico-legal officer.

Dr Nasreen said her conclusion was that the two women had been struck in the back of their head at least thrice in each case. However, she added, as the bodies were in a bad shape, the medico-legal report had been held back.

Fahmi, Gulgee’s sister, reached the house after learning about the incident. She said that three days ago, Gulgee had taken her out for a dinner. But since then he had not been attending phone calls.

The perturbed sister, in her 70s, was at a loss for words when asked as to who might have been behind the murder.

Yacoobali G. Zamindar, a close friend of Gulgee, told Dawn he had been with the artist and his wife last week at a fund-raising dinner.

“The couple also danced on the occasion,” recalled Mr Zamindar. He said his acquaintance with the Gulgees went back 30 years.

“The couple were very devoted to welfare work. Mrs Gulgee was a member of the SOS children’s village of Sindh.”

Apart from Amin, the couple had a daughter settled in London.

Relatives and friends visiting Gulgee’s Clifton residence had a difficult time in getting through the police guards posted at the entrance.

Among visitors to the house was a man cradling his little daughter in his arms. Tayyab, son of the slain servant Aasia, said that he had been coming to the place since Friday in search of his mother.