IG cites drug toxicity in Township custodial deaths

LAHORE:

Punjab Inspector General of Police Abdul Kareem on Tuesday claimed a comprehensive investigation into the deaths of two women at Township Police Station had found "no evidence of custodial torture", with a medical board concluding that the women died from combined drug toxicity.

Addressing a press conference, the IG said the investigation covered all aspects of the incident, including CCTV footage, medical evidence and statements from police officials and witnesses.

According to the medical board's findings, no evidence of physical torture, external injuries or wounds was found on the bodies of the two women, Kareem said.

He added that a magisterial inquiry conducted under Section 176 of the Code of Criminal Procedure had also found no evidence of police torture.

The development comes nearly two weeks after Lahore Capital City Police Officer (CCPO) Bilal Siddique Kamyana held a press conference on August 11, when the final forensic findings were still awaited.

At the time, Kamyana said post-mortem examinations and a judicial inquiry had found no apparent signs of torture, but the exact cause of death would be determined after DNA and other forensic reports were received.

Kamyana had also provided a timeline of the incident, saying police received a call on emergency helpline 15 at around 2:55pm on August 4 regarding an alleged swindling incident in Township.

Police reached the location at about 3:11pm, while the complainant arrived around 4pm. An FIR was registered at approximately 4:50pm and custody of the women was transferred from the operations wing to the investigation wing at around 5:20pm.

The women were handed over to investigation staff at about 5:30pm, after which their condition reportedly deteriorated.

Rescue 1122 was called and they were shifted to Jinnah Hospital, where they were declared dead, according to the police account.

At the August 11 briefing, Kamyana had disclosed that one of the women had injection marks on her hand and that police possessed video footage in which the women allegedly discussed using injections.

He had, however, said police were not claiming that they were drug users until the forensic findings established the cause of death.

Kareem said the Punjab Forensic Science Authority subsequently collected the necessary samples and had now submitted its report.

According to the report, both women had consumed different types of intoxicants, while the medical board concluded that their deaths resulted from combined drug toxicity.

The IG said the medical board had also observed multiple injection marks on the women's arms, which he said were consistent with repeated injection use.

Kareem said police had reviewed the complete available CCTV footage and recorded statements from relevant officials and witnesses. According to the police, the footage showed that "the women's clothes were already torn before they were taken into custody".

The IG further said both women had previous criminal records in several cases involving fraud and swindling, with cases registered in Lahore and Gujrat.

However, the police findings have been challenged by the Human Rights Commission of Pakistan (HRCP), which has called for an independent judicial tribunal to investigate the deaths.