SIU cops booked in Irfan Baloch murder case in Karachi

KARACHI: A murder case has been registered against several personnel of the Special Investigation Unit (SIU) for their alleged involvement in the death of 15-year-old Irfan Baloch, who reportedly died while in police custody.

According to police officials, an FIR has been lodged at the SIU Police Station in Saddar on behalf of the SHO SIU, nominating ASI Ubaid Shah, ASI Sarfraz, constables Fayyaz Shah, Waqar, Asif Ali and others as accused in the case.

Initial postmortem findings revealed multiple injury marks on the victim’s body, contradicting the police’s earlier claim that Irfan Baloch had died of a heart attack.

The case has been registered under sections related to negligence and custodial death, as investigations continue into the circumstances surrounding the incident.

Dr. Samia Tariq, the police surgeon overseeing the autopsy, confirmed that Irfan’s body bore signs of severe torture at several places. She added that samples from various organs had been preserved for chemical examination to determine the exact cause of death. “The final cause of death will be established after the chemical analysis report,” she said.

As per police and hospital sources, Irfan was taken into custody on Wednesday morning from the Aysha Manzil area, reportedly while filming a TikTok video with friends. By 7 p.m. the same evening, his body was brought to Jinnah Hospital, more than 36 hours before the post-mortem was finally conducted.

Initially, police officials tried to carry out the post-mortem at night, but medical officers refused, insisting that it must be done under a magistrate’s supervision. The examination was eventually completed on Friday morning under a medical board and a magistrate’s oversight.

Doctors confirmed at least seven major injury marks on Irfan’s body, including head wounds, facial bruises, and trauma to the lower back and sensitive areas. Samples from various organs have been preserved for chemical testing to determine the exact cause of death.

Three SIU sub-inspectors have been suspended, but none have been arrested.

Police officials say Irfan and several other young men were detained for questioning in connection with an unspecified case, though no further details have been disclosed.

Irfan, a resident of Bahawalpur who had come to Karachi for work, was reportedly picked up by SIU personnel near Ayesha Manzil along with several other youngsters while recording TikTok videos. The case for which he was detained remains undisclosed.