Bodies keep surfacing in canals

At least 67 bodies retrieved around Faisalabad in six years

FAISALABAD:

The discovery of unidentified bodies drowned in canals continues unabated as at least 67 men and women have been dead dead in similar circumstances during the past six years.

Three days ago, the body of an unidentified woman was recovered from a canal in Jaranwala. Rescuers took the body out of the canal and informed the local police. The police have started searching for the woman's family.

Meanwhile, a sense of fear has spread among the citizens over the frequent incidents of bodies being recovered from canals in Faisalabad city and its surroundings.

Sources said that most of the bodies recovered from the canals were of women. They were either killed over domestic disputes, thrown into canals, or committed suicide by jumping into them.

According to sources, 46 bodies of women and 21 of men have been found in canals around the city during the past six years.

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Rescue 1122 personnel retrieved from the canals and handed over to the police 13 bodies in 2015, 17 in 2016, nine in 2017, 15 in 2018, 18 in 2019 and eight bodies in the first six months of the current year.

Most of them had been killed with sharp instruments or by strangulation or firing.

Speaking to The Express Tribune in this regard, SSP Operations Syed Ali Raza said that unidentified bodies often prove to be a major challenge for the police. Sometimes when the boundaries of the police stations are changed, the task of finding the relatives and registering cases and arresting the accused and bringing them to justice is very time consuming and complicated. But the teams of police have so far traced the heirs of more than 75% of the unidentified bodies, registered the cases as per the law and arrested the accused. If a body found in a canal is not very old, then after verification from the National Database and Registration Authority (NADRA) after taking its fingerprints, the families are identified. If the body gets older, it would be a big challenge for the police. The official said professional police teams consist of competent and trained officers. He said the police were vigilant to protect the lives and property of the citizens.

Published in The Express Tribune, July 7^th, 2020.