Policewoman killed by Russian women inside Gadani jail

Murdered police constable has been identified as 23-year-old Zoya Binte Yahya

QUETTA: A woman police constable was murdered by three female Russian inmates at Gadani Central Jail on Monday night.

Officials identified the murdered police constable as 23-year-old Zoya Binte Yahya, a resident of Gadani who was deputed at the prison.

They said the Russian prisoners incapacitated the on-duty constable with a strike to the head before strangling her using a piece of rope.

The Gadani police SHO said an investigation was started to ascertain the facts and a case would soon be registered against the accused.

Balochistan Home Minister Mir Zia Langove also took notice of the murder and has ordered senior police officials to conduct a thorough investigation into the incident.

Balochistan jails ‘in a state of disaster’

In a statement, the minister said the incident reflects poorly on the standards of security at the prison and also indicates incompetence on the part of prison officials.

A report released last year by the National Commission for Human Rights (NCHR) highlighted the poor conditions of jails in Balochistan.

It stated that the Balochistan prison department faces a number of issues, some so severe that they have basically crippled the department’s functioning.

The report - released in March 2018 - said there were close to 2,300 inmates in Balochistan's jails, of which 942 were convicted and 1,166 under trial.

It stated that the acute dearth of well-trained, well-paid and disciplined staff had contributed to human rights violations in prisons.

The report further said that poorly equipped jails in Balochistan were facing an acute shortage of human and financial resources, which was contributing to the unsatisfactory living conditions for prisoners.