Maid torture: Police add eight more sections to FIR against judge's wife

Maid torture: Police add eight more sections to FIR against judge's wife

Crime

The 13-year-old girl was said to be in a critical condition as of Monday evening

ISLAMABAD (Web Desk) - Further tightening the noose around the wife of a civil judge, the Islamabad police have added eight more sections of Pakistan Penal Code (PPC) to the FIR of a torture case involving a 13-year-old maid.

Section 324 (attempted murder) was added to the FIR in response to the statement of the victim’s father after it was made part of the police file through a case diary on July 26.

Police also added seven sections to the FIR in response to the Medico-Legal Certificate (MLC) issued by the DHQ Teaching Hospital of Sargodha. 

The seven sections added are: 337-A (i) (shajjah-i-khafifah) meaning hurt by any weapon on head or face without exposing bone of the victim, 337-A (ii) (shajjah-i-mudihah) hurt by any weapon on head or face where through bone is exposed but no fracture is caused, 337-A (iii) (shajjah-i-hashimah) grievous hurt by any weapon on head or face resulting in fracture of bone of the victim without dislocating it, 337-F (i) (Damihah) an injury in which the skin is ruptured and bleeding occurs, and 337-F (v) (Hashimah), 337-L (ii) (punishment for other hurt) and 334 (Itlaf-Udw) to destroy a limb or organ.

Sources in the Islamabad police said the sections were added to the case keeping in view the evidence received through the MLC by the police. Addion of sections 3 (b) (compelled labour) of Prevention of Trafficking in Person Act 2018 to the case was also under consideration, they added, 

The accused is on protective bail till August 1. She has to appear in the capital’s sessions court for its confirmation otherwise it would stand expired, said the officers.

A police team is with the injured maid in Lahore and is in contact with the girl’s family and the doctors of the hospital where she is admitted.

The team will bring the girl to Islamabad on the doctors’ advice after her condition stabilises, the officers added. 

Doctors fear for girl's life

Doctors at the Lahore General Hospital (LGH) described the condition of a teenage maid, who was tortured allegedly by the wife of a judge, as serious and next 48 hours crucial for her life.

Rizwana, 14, has been under treatment in the intensive care unit (ICU) of the hospital since July 24.

LGH Chief Executive Prof Al-fareed Zafar declared the next 48 hours highly crucial for Rizwana, saying a special board treating her fears that she may need the ventilator support.

He said the girl’s mother had suspected that Rizwana had been poisoned by her employer(s) during domestic violence in Islamabad. Her blood sample had been sent for laboratory test after her complaint, Dr Zafar added.

Rizwana, a resident of Sargodha, was shifted to the LGH in critical condition on July 24.

Dr Zafar said an emergency meeting of the board was called when the duty doctors informed him about the deteriorating condition of the girl. According to the board, her wounds were severely infected. Bronchoscopy examination revealed that one of her lungs was infected and the other had blood clots due to which breathing was difficult for her. That's was why oxygen saturation level in her blood was falling.

He said the girl had an infection in her blood which had spread throughout the body. Her platelets have increased from 12,000 to 24,000 and the haemoglobin is 7 which is dangerously low.

Dr Zafar said Rizwana had been diagnosed with sepsis and she was a suspected Covid patient and her samples had been sent for diagnosis.

It may be recalled that Rizwana was allegedly subjected to brutal torture by the wife of civil judge Asim Hafeez on the allegation of stealing gold jewellery.

Her family said the girl was working as a maid at the civil judge’s house in Islamabad for six months and she was not paid her salary.