Husband admits sexual violence against teen bride

KARACHI:

A 19-year-old newlywed woman from Lyari died on Wednesday after remaining in a coma for 20 days due to a brutal assault and alleged marital rape by her husband, who has since confessed to the crime before a judicial magistrate.

The suspect, identified as Ashok, recorded his confessional statement before the judicial magistrate for District South under Section 164 of the Criminal Procedure Code. Following the confession, the court sent him to jail on judicial remand.

Reportedly, the victim was married on June 15. Just two days later, she was allegedly "subjected to sodomy" and assaulted with a metal pipe by her husband, causing critical internal injuries. Her health deteriorated rapidly, and she was admitted to a private hospital before being shifted to the Shaheed Mohtarma Benazir Bhutto Trauma Centre at Civil Hospital.

Police surgeon confirmed that the medical examination findings were consistent with sexual violence. She stated the victim passed away on Wednesday at the trauma centre.

The FIR, lodged by the victim's brother at Baghdadi police station on July 5, initially included charges under Sections 324 (attempt to commit murder) and 376-B (rape) of the Pakistan Penal Code.

The complainant stated that the victim had confided in her parents about repeated unnatural sexual acts and physical abuse, including the use of a foreign object, and that she was threatened with dire consequences if she disclosed the abuse.

With the victim's death, police said they plan to amend the FIR to include Section 302 (murder) of the Pakistan Penal Code. The investigation remains ongoing.

Despite existing anti-rape legislation that mandates the death penalty or imprisonment of 10 to 25 years for rape, such cases continue to surface across the country. In recent months, similar incidents of sexual violence, including assaults on women in their own homes, have been reported in various parts of Karachi and other cities.

Man bashes wife's head with brick, slits throat

A woman was found dead at her home in Orangi Town on Thursday morning, in what police described as a brutal act of domestic violence. The victim, identified as Malikiyat Bibi, a mother of seven, had visible signs of torture and her throat had been slit.

PS Pirabad SHO said the primary suspect is the victim's husband, Shoaib, who allegedly attacked his wife while she was asleep. He reportedly struck her on the head with a brick and then used a sharp object to slit her throat. Shoaib fled the scene after the attack.