Twist in the tale: Missing maid has married of free will, claim police

Momina had gone missing from FFC colony Mirpur Mathelo on Apr 22

SUKKUR: A maid who went missing from the residential colony of Fauji Fertilizer Company (FFC) at Mirpur Mathelo recently has allegedly married out of her own free will, the police have claimed. However, the girl's father, Kaloo Shaikh, disagrees, saying the FFC and police are fabricating stories.

Momina was working as a domestic help at the residence of FFC's general manager (security) and mysteriously went missing on April 22.

Qazi Sajjad, a head constable at the Mirpur Mathelo police station, produced an affidavit before journalists on Monday wherein a girl, identified as Hajan alias Shumaila, daughter of Kaloo Shaikh, resident of Mirpur Mathelo, has married a man named Diljan, son of Chand, resident of Daharki. Two photographs have been affixed on the affidavit, out of which one is of Momina, while the other is Diljan, claimed the police.

Talking to local journalists, Shaikh said his daughter used to live at the residence of Colonel (retd) Munawar Zaidi and it was their responsibility to take care of her. Blaming the police of siding with the FFC management, he said they have not even registered an FIR yet.

He added that something fishy is going on as the affidavit brought forward by the police carries his daughter's picture but has the name of someone else.

Head constable Sajjad told The Express Tribune they received the affidavit through courier service from Karachi. He said the picture attached to it is of Momina, as it was counter-checked with the FFC management's record of domestic workers in the colony. He did not have an explanation for the different name on the document.

FFC's media manager, Colonel (retd) Amin, said the girl used to live at Colonel Zaidi's residence. On the day of the incident, her mother called her on the phone and asked her to bring ice at the colony's main gate, he said. According to him, Momina went out and never returned. He narrated that once the girl did not return for half an hour, Colonel Zaidi called the security staff at the main gate who informed him that she went out along with her mother.

Amin said they then informed her parents about the incident, who started blaming the FFC management for the incident. He added that dozens of maids work in the colony and the management could not be held responsible if they go missing outside the colony's premises.

Published in The Express Tribune, May 3^rd, 2016.