Pakistani actress and model Humaira Asghar Ali is believed to have died around nine months ago, in October 2024, based on digital and forensic evidence, investigators told Arab News on Thursday. Her decomposed body was discovered earlier this week in her Karachi apartment.
Ali’s remains were found in a flat located in the Ittehad Commercial area when a court bailiff arrived on Tuesday to vacate the rented property following a complaint by the landlord. Police said the bailiff broke down the door and discovered her body inside.
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Initially, Karachi Police Surgeon Dr. Summaiya Syed, who conducted the post-mortem, estimated that death had occurred about a month ago, based on the body’s advanced stage of decomposition. However, further investigation into Ali’s phone records, social media activity, and interviews with neighbors revealed no sign that she had been alive after October 2024.
Her last Facebook post was dated September 11, 2024, while her final Instagram post was made on September 30, 2024. Neighbors reported they had not seen her since around that same time.
Deputy Inspector General of Police Syed Asad Raza confirmed that Ali’s phone was last active in October 2024, with her final call recorded that month.
“According to the Call Detail Record (CDR), the last call was made in October 2024,” Raza said, without elaborating.
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Two officials directly involved in the case, who requested anonymity, told Arab News the estimated time of death was around October 2024.
“Humaira’s body appears to be around nine months old,” said one official. “She likely died sometime between paying her last utility bills and when her electricity was disconnected in October 2024, possibly due to non-payment.”
Another official cited the presence of expired food items and rusted kitchen containers as further evidence supporting this timeline.
“The food had expired about six months ago, and the jars were rusted,” the official said.
According to investigators, the only other apartment on the floor was vacant at the time, which may have delayed the discovery of her death.
“The residents of the neighboring unit returned in February, by which time the smell had faded. Typically, the odor begins to lessen after 10 to 15 days. The balcony door had also been left open,” the second official added.
Water pipes in the apartment were dry and rusted, and no backup power source or candles were found.
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Police surgeon Syed, who revisited the apartment on Wednesday with senior officers, said they collected multiple surface samples for lab testing but declined to comment further.
Authorities also revealed that Ali’s family had refused to claim her body. It remains unclear whether she was estranged from them or why they chose not to accept her remains.
Humaira Asghar Ali gained fame after winning the Veet Miss Super Model title in 2014 and participating in the reality show Tamasha Ghar in 2022. She also acted in several television dramas, including Just Married, Ehsaan Faramosh, Guru, and Chal Dil Mere. Her film credits include the 2015 action-thriller Jalaibee and Love Vaccine in 2021.
Here’s how social media users reacted:
Humaira Asghar’s father & brother refusing to accept her body for burial show how violence against women in our society – doesn’t even end when they are dead.
Disowned, murdered, assaulted and yet somehow society always finds a way to blame her for it.— Kanwal Ahmed (@kanwalful) July 9, 2025
i can’t see any dishonour she brought on her family, any act that should question feminism, all i see is a kind soul being failed by her family and society.
rest peacefully humaira asghar 🫶🏻 pic.twitter.com/WAyVBtFkDW— ✮⋆˙ (@blushdiary) July 9, 2025
Humaira Asghar Ali made this portrait for her father, She loved her parents with all her heart. Little did she know that one day, when she will no longer be able to speak for herself, her dзad body will be abandoned and rejected by the very people she loved. #humairaasgharali https://t.co/df27Vk6UWE pic.twitter.com/hygf0mjvs6
— Afshan Tayyab (@AfshanTayyab__) July 9, 2025
Our tweet on Feb 5, 2025, about her disappearance!#HumairaAsghar was missing for months and no one even asked, where her friends and family were?
Now she’s gone forever 💔 #HumairaAsghar https://t.co/QAZrxeBJVW
— Showbiz & News (@ShowbizAndNewz) July 8, 2025
To #HumairaAsghar’s father from another father of a daughter
Irrespective of the reasons she left, or the circumstances under which you let her go that was when she was still breathing, still hoping, still alive. But now, when there is no heartbeat left in her chest, not even a… pic.twitter.com/YPAsiQr8lc
— 𝑭𝒂𝒉𝒂𝒅 🇵🇰 (@FahadChishte) July 9, 2025
after father refusal #HumairaAsghar ’s brother-in-law contacted the police officials for her dead body -According to the postmortem report Humaira Asghar’s body turned out to be more than 6 months old, The body was so burned that the knee joints were rotting- #HumairaAsgharAli pic.twitter.com/yhpAXHszvm
— Hideside Magazine (@hidesidewithak) July 9, 2025