Housemaid, 7, tortured to death

RAWALPINDI: A couple has been arrested for allegedly torturing a seven-year-old housemaid to death on a minor slip-up in the jurisdiction of Rawat police station.

Police said the accused shifted the victim, identified as Zahra Bibi, to a private hospital after she fell unconscious. The victim sought forgiveness but the couple kept beating her with a club until she fell unconscious.

Police said SHO Rawat got information from the private hospital administration that a critically injured girl had been shifted by the owner of the house. The accused told the hospital staff that the victim had made a mistake causing the unfortunate incident.

As the police reached the hospital, the accused managed to escape. Later the victim succumbed to her injuries.

The police shifted the body of the minor to the District Headquarters Hospital for post-mortem after reporting the matter to her family. A team, including women cops, was constituted to arrest the couple.

The police raided the house in Phase 8 and arrested the couple. Area people saw a four-month-old baby in the lap of the accused woman when she was arrested and being shifted to the police station.

The police have registered an FIR under Sections 302/ 324/376/34 and arrested the couple. A three-day physical remand of the couple has been sought from the court of law.

According to the preliminary medical report, the body of the victim carried visible marks of torture. Bruises were visible on the right cheek, wounds on a rib, a number of contusions on chest and lower part of the body and a lesion on her right wrist. Deep cruises were also found between both thighs and her sensitive parts of the body and nose were bleeding.

According to doctors, the victim’s internal system could have been damaged causing heart attack.

Blaming the incident on his wife, the accused told the police that Zahra freed their pricey parrots, which infuriated his wife. He said his wife severely tortured the minor girl. Further investigation is on.