Post-mortems find no signs of torture in deaths of two women in Lahore police custody

The detailed post-mortem reports of two women who died in Lahore's Township police custody found no signs of physical assault or torture, with blood and organ samples sent for histopathology testing to determine the final cause of death, according to the reports received by The Express Tribune on Tuesday.

Anmol and Amina were detained earlier this month on theft charges. Police said the women fell critically ill while being transferred between police wings, with one dying at the police station and the other at a hospital. Police suspected drug use or possible poisoning, while their families disputed the account and called for an impartial investigation.

The post-mortem reports said black spots were found on the lungs of both women, while their hearts were filled with blood clots. Their livers, kidneys and stomachs were found to be healthy.

The post-mortems were conducted two days after the women's deaths, with the findings finalised after all members of the medical board reached a consensus. No marks of physical violence were found on either woman's body during the examinations.

Read More: Cause of deaths in custody being probed

Blood and organ samples were subsequently sent for histopathology testing to determine the final cause of death, according to the reports.

The findings come a day after a judicial inquiry into the deaths was completed under Section 176 of the Code of Criminal Procedure. Judicial Magistrate Kamran Karamat ruled out torture in his report after personally inspecting the bodies and found no evidence that the women had been subjected to physical violence during the inquiry.

According to the inquiry report, both women had been brought to the hospital dead. The magistrate directed the Township station house officer to arrange post-mortem examinations, noting that the final cause of death could be determined in light of the post-mortem and forensic reports.

The judicial magistrate subsequently submitted the inquiry report to the district and sessions judge.

Case details and developments

Anmol and Amina, who were reportedly sisters-in-law and residents of Pakpattan, belonged to a poor family and lived in a makeshift settlement, according to their relatives. They had been arrested after a complaint by a citizen, Zeeshan Latif, who alleged that the women had attempted to fraudulently obtain gold earrings and money from a woman.

Police said the women fell critically ill while in custody and were shifted to hospital, where they were pronounced dead. Officials had reportedly suspected a drug overdose, while police also said the women were drug addicts and that their condition may have deteriorated because they were unable to obtain narcotics while in custody. Investigators were also examining the possibility that they had consumed a poisonous substance before their arrest.

The families rejected the police account and called for an impartial investigation. They alleged that they had been handed a copy of the FIR and asked to arrange bail for the women before being informed that they had died in custody. Questions were also raised over whether the women had been subjected to physical abuse.

Meanwhile, footage showing the women inside the police station surfaced. In one video, they could be seen walking past a room inside the station. The footage, along with other CCTV recordings, was expected to be examined by the inquiry team to establish what happened before their deaths.

Read More: Two custodial deaths put police under scrutiny

The families also questioned the circumstances surrounding the transportation and burial of the bodies. According to relatives, police accompanied the bodies from Lahore to Pakpattan and a heavy contingent was present during the funeral and burial. Footage from the funeral also showed a substantial police presence.

The relatives alleged that the funeral and burial had been conducted hurriedly and that they had not been given sufficient time to make arrangements. The bodies were buried in Basti Ghaus Nagar after funeral prayers were reportedly offered at Dargah Basti Chan Pir.

The background of the complainant, Zeeshan Latif, also came under scrutiny. Documents obtained by the families showed that a person named Latif had appeared in several criminal cases registered at Township police station in different capacities, including as a complainant, witness and surety. The record was being examined to establish whether the person named in those cases was the same individual who had lodged the complaint against the two women.