Police on Monday recovered the bodies of five people — a mother and her four minor sons — from a hut in a village near Thatta's Jhimpir town.

According to officials , the bodies of a 42-year-old woman and her four minor sons were found in a hut in Columbia Farm village. Police officials took the bodies into custody and shifted them to Civil Hospital, Makli for an autopsy.

Civil Hospital official Dr Sikandar Shah said that they were currently trying to determine the exact cause of death. Meanwhile, Dr Gayanchand, who was conducting the autopsy, stated that initial reports suggested the victims were strangled to death as they had marks around their necks.

Speaking to Dawn.com, Sindh chief minister's special assistant on human rights Veerji Kolhi said that the victim had committed suicide after feeding her children a poisonous substance.

According to the information received from Thatta SSP Suhai Talpur, the woman fed her sons a poisonous substance before killing herself, he said. "She also tried to suffocate them to death while they were still alive," he added.

Kolhi said that police officials had gotten hold of a voice recording of the victim, in which she had said that she was going to kill herself and her minor sons after being threatened by her daughter's in-laws.

He added that he told the Thatta SSP to register an FIR against those who were threatening the victim and had eventually forced her to take such an extreme step. "An FIR will be registered against them on the complaint of the victim's mother," he said.

Jhirk DSP Asghar Jatt stated that officials were investigating the incident from various angles. He maintained that it was currently too early to comment on the incident.

"A proper inquiry will be conducted in light of the autopsy report," he said.