Closet cases: Man breaks wife’s legs, throws acid, locks her up

Kalsoom was locked up for 15 days after she threatened to leave her husband.

BAHALWALPUR: A man broke his wife’s legs after throwing acid on her on Saturday.

According to police officials, Dera Izzat resident Allah Bakhsh kept his wife Kalsoom, 40, under house arrest for over 15 days after he broke her legs. “When she tried to escape and call someone for help, he threw acid on her,” said a neighbour Zehra Bibi.

Kalsoom’s brother Mohammad Bakhsh told reporters that Allah Bakhsh was a day labourer and was having an affair with someone else.

“He tortured my sister when she found out about his affair and threatened to leave him,” he said.  “He kept her locked up and gagged upstairs and told his sons that she had gone away to visit some relatives. I came to his house a few days ago and found her,” he said.

“I wouldn’t have even thought to look until he told me she had gone to see our relatives because they were ill and I knew that no one in the family was ill,” he said. Buksh said that he brought his uncle to the house to search for his sister.

“Allah Bukhsh escaped while I was gone but we both later found Kalsoom gagged in a cupboard. She was almost starving and she was burned,” he said.

Kalsoom was shifted to the Bahawal Victoria Hospital and doctors said that her legs might take six to seven months to heal. “Most of her burns are on her face and we are treating them,” Dr Qasim Shah said.

Mohammad Baksh told reporters that the police was not cooperating with him and no FIR was launched in this regard.

According to Saddar police station ASI Qadir Bakhsh, the police was waiting for an MLC report.

“The incident took place nearly 20 days ago and so the report is taking longer than expected,” he said. “We will start an investigation as soon we get the test results but we have already begun questioning Kalsoom and her family,” he said.

Doctors said that Kalsoom was in recovery but that she was severely malnourished and her burns would take a long time to heal. “We are treating her but we have to wait for the skin to heal a little more before we can consider any surgery,” said Dr Fauzia.

“If she had been locked up a little longer she probably would have died of malnutrition,” she added.

Published in The Express Tribune, January 30^th, 2012