An unbelievably shocking case of necrophilia once broke out in Karachi, the largest city in Pakistan. A 28-year-old man, Mohammad Riaz, was arrested due to his suspicious behavior. During police interrogation, he admitted that over the past eight years, he had sexually assaulted as many as 48 female corpses. In addition, he specifically targeted “fresh graves” that had been buried for less than two hours. The case, which occurred in 2011, has recently gone viral on social media again due to its cruel and unimaginable details.
At the time, Riaz was seen fleeing a cemetery in Karachi looking flustered and panicked. Local residents, suspecting him to be a thief, stopped him and handed him over to patrolling police. During the initial questioning, Riaz claimed that after entering a grave, he saw a girl open her eyes and flash her bright teeth, which terrified him and caused him to flee. However, after strict interrogation by police, the long-hidden truth finally surfaced.
During questioning, Riaz confessed that he had been sexually assaulting female corpses in graves for a long time. He revealed that the whole thing was encouraged and influenced by his friend Wazir, who had died about two years before Riaz’s arrest. Riaz stated that about 40 of the bodies were assaulted together with Wazir, with the remainder committed by himself after Wazir’s death.
To avoid being detected, Riaz carried out his crimes with extreme precision. He specifically picked “fresh graves” buried for less than two hours, as the newly dug soil was easy to excavate and less likely to arouse suspicion from mourning families or bystanders. Under cover of darkness, relying only on his phone’s flashlight, he would sneak into the grave and assault the just-buried female bodies. Reports noted that Riaz worked at the cemetery as a gravedigger and was normally responsible for watering graves.
The exposure of this case sparked a strong backlash among local religious leaders and the community. Because the crime scene was in the city, people began to question whether the supposedly sacred Muslim cemeteries had become dens for drugs, illegal arms dealers, or necrophiles.
North Nazimabad Police Station Chief Asim stated that Riaz has been prosecuted under relevant criminal law provisions with charges including desecration of a corpse, rape, and unnatural sexual acts, and could face the death penalty.
Sindh Women Development Minister Bhutto strongly condemned what she described as a “beastly act,” demanding the strictest punishment and announcing that she would propose a bill in the provincial assembly to prevent such tragedies from happening again. The chairman of the Crescent Sighting Committee, Munib, also stated that under Islamic law, the government is authorized to impose the maximum penalty for such crimes and must do so as a warning to the public.
Fauzia, head of the civil organization 'Aasha,' pointed out that Riaz’s conduct was not only a personal psychological sickness, but also reflected the deep-rooted and pathological disrespect for women in society. She demanded that the judiciary severely punish those responsible.