Horrific: Child beaten brutally, detained

BAHAWALPUR:  

A 12-year-old, employed at a beverage shop, was beaten up with a steel rod and detained for three days by the shop owner for stealing Rs20, police said on Tuesday. They said they had taken the boy to a rural health centre and were looking for the shop owner. Uch Sharif SHO Tahir Khan Korai said Muhammad Asghar, a resident of Chak Shahwala, had set up a beverages shop near Ghaus Azam Town, Uch Sharif. The 12-year-old boy, a resident of the same area, worked at the shop as a gofer.  Over the weekend, Asghar accused him of pocketing Rs20 and beat him up with a hot iron road. The rod had left red weals on the child’s back. Fearing police action, Asghar kept the child detained at the shop for three days, police said. On Monday night, Asghar left the shop and the child started screaming and calling out for help. People in the area gathered and broke the shop open. They called the police who took the child to a rural health centre for treatment. Korai said that they had registered a case against Asghar and were looking for him.

Published in The Express Tribune, June 1^st, 2016.