In a shocking incident, a man in Sindh's Hyderabad district sealed his niece and sister-in-law into a room by building a wall outside its door over property dispute in an alleged attempt to force them to die of starvation.
The incident is a result of a longstanding ownership row between the woman and her devar (husband’s brother), according to the local police.
The brother-in-law of the woman and his children became so enraged that they walled up the room, trapping the mother-daughter duo inside —allegedly with an aim of killing them by starvation.
The woman stated that her oppressors even had the wall stuccoed.
The tragic event took place in Latifabad No 5, Hyderabad, where both women were confined in their portion of the disputed house, with a wall built outside their room’s door to make their escape impossible.
A police party arrived only after a concerned neighbour alerted them to the vicious incident, which had gone unnoticed by others.
The law enforcers broke down the wall and rescued the two women after 28 hours of confinement without food and water, according to officials.
On the complaint of the victim, a police case has been filed against three individuals, including the woman's brother-in-law, his wife, and another relative.
The police are actively conducting raids to apprehend the accused. The charges in the case include illegal occupation of the house, unlawful confinement, and issuing threats of dire consequences.
According to the complainant, the brother-in-law had deprived them of basic utilities exacerbating their suffering.
"We were left without water, electricity, and gas. My brother-in-law has been making us live in constant fear and deprivation," the affected woman recounted.
Early investigation revealed that this act of barbarity came on the heels of a heated argument over the property between the woman and her brother-in-law.
Two suspects have been taken into custody, and the police have initiated an investigation into the incident, officials said.