Mystery Deepens in Actor Humaira Asghar’s Death: Police Suspect Six-Month-Old Body

KARACHI: The mysterious death of Pakistani actor and model Humaira Asghar has taken a grim turn. Authorities now believe her decomposed body, found in her apartment earlier this week, may have been there for almost six months.

Sindh Police Deputy Inspector General (DIG) South, Asad Raza, said early investigations suggest Asghar may have died in October 2024. However, the exact cause of death is still unknown.

Body Found During Court-Ordered Eviction

On Tuesday, a court-appointed bailiff visited Asghar’s flat in Defence Phase 6’s Ittehad Commercial area. He was there to enforce an eviction order filed by the flat’s owner over unpaid rent.

Upon entering the flat, the bailiff encountered a foul smell and found the actor’s badly decomposed body. The apartment had been locked from the inside, and neighbours reported no activity for months.

Asghar had lived alone in the flat for the past seven years. Police accessed the apartment only after the court’s order was executed.

Her body was then shifted to a hospital for examination. However, due to its advanced state of decomposition, determining an immediate cause of death was not possible.

Signs Point to Death in October 2024

DIG Asad Raza shared more findings from the initial probe. He said food and drinks in the flat had expiry dates from 2024, indicating they were bought months ago.

He added that the last messages on Asghar’s phone were from October 2024. One of those was from an online taxi driver, suggesting she may have been planning to leave or had called a ride.

Police also found that the apartment’s electricity had been disconnected for months, supporting the theory that no one had lived there since late last year.

DIG Raza noted that her last known communication with the flat owner also happened in 2024. He said police now believe she may have died shortly after October 7, the last seen date on her WhatsApp, according to celebrity stylist Danish Maqsood.

Maqsood said he messaged Asghar on October 20, but the message was never read, raising concerns at the time.

Maqsood also shared that he had messaged Asghar on October 20, but his message remained unread. “That’s when I started to worry, but I thought maybe she needed a break,” he told.

Post-Mortem Inconclusive Due to Decomposition

According to police surgeon Dr Summaiya Syed, a preliminary post-mortem has been conducted, but it did not reveal a clear cause of death due to the body’s advanced state of decomposition.

She said, “At this stage, it is difficult to conclude anything. The remains were skeletal, and soft tissues had decomposed significantly.”

Dr Syed stated that DNA and chemical samples were collected and sent to the laboratory. She added that any conclusive findings would depend on the outcome of the forensic examination, which could take several days.

Experts suspect that the decomposition was accelerated due to lack of ventilation, extreme weather, and power outage, which may have also contributed to the silence surrounding her disappearance.

Family to Receive Body as Probe Continues

After completing the legal formalities, police moved the body to the morgue, and her family was expected to receive it on Wednesday. A formal burial was scheduled once identification was officially verified.

DIG Raza said that police are now examining Asghar’s phone records, social media activity, and bank transactions from the last few months of 2024. They are also reaching out to friends, neighbours, and industry colleagues to understand whether she had expressed any distress or had conflicts.

Although there is no immediate evidence of foul play, investigators are not ruling anything out. “We are keeping all options open until we have the final post-mortem report,” DIG Raza said.

Humaira Asghar had maintained a relatively private lifestyle in recent years. While active in the entertainment industry through fashion and TV appearances, she had reportedly distanced herself from the media spotlight. Friends described her as someone who “kept to herself” but was passionate about her career and loved fashion and beauty.

Her sudden death, and the possibility that it went unnoticed for months, has shocked fans and colleagues alike.

Public Reaction and Industry Response

News of the case has triggered strong reactions across social media. Many users are questioning how someone could vanish for months without anyone noticing. Others are highlighting the isolation and mental health struggles many in the entertainment industry face.

Several fellow actors and models expressed shock and grief over the news. Some urged the industry to build a better support network for artists, especially those who live alone or have withdrawn from the public eye.

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