Woman set on fire by husband and in-laws

Lateefan was killed because her parents stopped paying her husband.

KHANPUR:

A woman was burned by her husband and in-laws for refusing to give him her money. According to police officials, Chak 1P resident Lateefan Bibi died after her husband and in-laws gagged her and sprinkled petrol on her. “She was set on fire because her family stopped paying her husband Shabbir a monthly amount,” said neighbour Anwar Kashif.

Lateefan married Shabbir Ahmed four years ago and Shabbir and his family used to get money from her family on a monthly basis.

“They used to pay him Rs 400,000 every month because of some old dispute,” Kashif said. When Lateefan’s family failed to pay the amount for the month of October, Shabbir, his father Bashir Ahmed and brothers Mehbub and Shafiq tied her up and set her on fire. Locals in the village said that a crowd gathered at the house upon hearing the woman’s screams but the men were laughing. “They were just watching her burn to death and we had to beat our way in to take her to the hospital,” Malik Kamal said.

Lateefan was admitted to Sheikh Zayed hospital RY Khan and CMH Kharian but she passed away during her treatment. “She had over 90 percent third degree burns.

There was no chance of her making it through,” said Sheikh Zayed Hospital Dr Asad.

The body has been handed over to the girls her family after an autopsy in THQ Khanpur. Police have arrested one of the accused Mehbub and are searching for the remaining accused who fled the district.

Published in The Express Tribune, October 16^th, 2011.