Woman set on fire by alleged intruder

The victim suffered burns on 70 per cent of her body

DIJKOT:

A married woman was allegedly set on fire for resisting a rape attempt, leaving her with severe burn injuries in 253 Nai Abadi Mazhabiwala.

According to the police, the 25-year-old woman had been alone at her home when one of her neighbours, Atif, allegedly sneaked into her house and tried to rape her.

The woman fought back successfully and kept her honour.

In the meantime, the accused, in utter frustration, first struck her with some glassware and then poured a bottle of petrol on her and set her ablaze.

With her body ablaze, the woman rushed out of her house screaming frantically. Neighbourhood people managed to put the fire out but not before it had burnt 70% of the victim’s body.

She was shifted to the Allied Hospital. Upon receiving reports of the incident, SSP Muhammad Ajmal, the SP of Iqbal Town, Hafiz Kamran Asghar, and other senior police officers reached the spot to conduct investigation.

Additionally, the IGP of Punjab, Rao Sardar Ali Khan, and the CPO of Faisalabad, Syed Ali Nasir Rizvi, took notice of the matter and issued orders to immediately register a case against the accused and provide justice to the victim.

The SHO of Roshanwala, Sub-Inspector Roy Farooq Ahmed, arrested the accused, Atif, after conducting raids at various places.

The accused, Atif, denied the charges against him and told the police that he entered the house at the noise of the people to put out the fire.

According to the doctors at the Burns Unit of the Allied Hospital, the victim had suffered burns across 70 percent of her body. Police are investigating the matter.

In November last year, a man reportedly burnt alive his wife over a domestic dispute in Khurrianwala.

Police took the body into custody and registered a case against the husband of the deceased and two other suspects.

The complainant, Maqbool Ahmed, a farmer and resident of Fatehpur, informed the police that his daughter, Musarat Bibi, had been married eight years ago to Iqbal Hussain, a resident of Chak No. 137GB.

The couple had two daughters aged seven and five years.

The complainant stated that Iqbal Hussain often beat up his wife for no reason.

On November 17, he thrashed Musarat Bibi while she was cooking in the yard of the house. He, along with his friends Abbas and Adnan, poured a bottle of petrol on the victim and set her on fire.

The complainant said Abbas was carrying a bottle filled with petrol.

All the three suspects escaped after the incident.

Published in The Express Tribune, June 20^th, 2022.