Crime: Family of burnt man accuse police

LAHORE:

Manawan police have shown a marked lack of interest in the murder of man who died from burns after a neighbour threw some chemicals at him, the victim’s family have alleged. The family claim the police are soft on the accused due to the intervention of some influential neighbours.

On April 30, Manzoor Hussain and his wife Abida Begum called Rahil Yaqoob over to settle a business dispute. According to Yaqoob’s brother Adil, they exchanged harsh words and Hussain, his wife and daughter, Lubna, threw chemicals on Yaqoob and set him on fire. Manawan police have registered a criminal case against the three.  However, they have not arrested them. Nazeer Ahmed, investigating officer, earlier had said that the accused were at large. Now, he said, they had gotten interim bail and were participating in the investigation, he said. He said the cause of death had not yet been ascertained and that the investigation would be conducted on merit.

Published in The Express Tribune, May 26^th, 2011.