Attempted murder: Man nearly kills wife for refusing to ‘gift’ her buffalo

Asghar believed his wife to be dead and was caught trying to dump the body in the canal.

SUNJERPUR:

Police officials are currently searching for a man who nearly killed his wife after she refused to give away her buffalo for his brother’s marriage on Monday.

According to police officials, Sunjerpur Busti Malan Di Goth resident Jam Muhammad Asghar wanted his wife Kulsoom Bibi to give a buffalo she had received in her dowry to his brother. When Kulsoom refused, he hit her with a brick. Thinking she was dead, Asghar wrapped his wife in a quilt and locked her in a cupboard. He later told her family and the others in the neighbourhood that she had run away with his neighbour and stolen money from him.

“He came to us in the afternoon and asked us if we had seen her. When we said we hadn’t he said he feared she had run away,” said Asghar’s neighbour Ramzan.

Asghar later went to Kulsoom’s parent’s house and told them that their daughter had robbed him and run away with another man. The girl’s parents Faiz and Rasheeda Begum began searching for her in the village. “We refused to believe him and we knew she must have just gone to the market so we began searching for her before matters became worse,” Faiz said.

Asghar and his brother Jam Akbar were spotted by three farmers on Monday night dumping the girl in a near by field. “We called out to them and they both ran away but we found Kulsoom wrapped in a blue quilt. She wasn’t dead. They just thought she was,” farmer Muhammad Khurram told police officials. “I took her to the hospital and called her family,” he added. Khurram told police that he thought the two men planned on dumping the body in a nearby canal. “They would have dumped her in the canal if we hadn’t started chasing them,” he said.

Several villagers, as well as Kulsoom’s parents said that they had been searching for her all evening but were eventually told she was ain a hospital.

Sunjerpur Police arrived at the scene and eventually managed to arrest Jam Akbar but his brother managed to escape.

“He told us he knew nothing of the incident and only that his brother had told him to help carry the body,” Station House Officer Junaid Qazim said. “He was still responsible for helping dump the body,” he said.

Rural Health Centre Dr Asif told reporters that Kulsoom’s arm had been broken and she had suffered several bruises. “She was struck in the head with a brick and needed 20 stitches. She is still unconscious but I am hopeful that she will make a full recovery,” he said.

Kot Sabzal police have registered a case against Jam Akbar and Jam Asghar.

Police officials are currently searching for Asghar’s whereabouts and said that they were waiting for Kulsoom to regain consciousness so they could take a full statement.

Published in The Express Tribune, June 8th, 2011.