Caught in a brutal love triangle

FAISALABAD: A man who was allegedly mutilated by his wife and her lover has complained that police officials are refusing to act on his case.

Ghaziabad resident Sultan Ali married Naseem Bibi a year ago. Sultan said that his neighbor Anwar was a regular visitor in their house and that he suspected his wife was having an affair with him.

“I told him to stop coming to my house and that if he did I would report him to the police,” he said. Sultan said that his wife had been widowed before and had a 17-year-old son from her previous marriage, Amar alias ‘Kali’, who often stayed with them. He added that Kali was one of his attackers. A month ago, Sultan came home early from the factory where he worked to find Anwar, Kali and an un-known man in his house. “My wife was serving them a meal and offered me a drink,” he said. “I was in a rage to find him there and told him to leave. I don’t remember what happened next until I woke up and was tied to a chair,” he said.

Nasreen Bibi allegedly drugged Sultan and when he woke up the three men and Naseem took a sickle to his face and arms. “They cut off one of my arms and stuffed a rag in my throat so I couldn’t scream,” he said. Anwar, Naseem Bibi, Kali and the fourth person fled and have yet to be found.

Sultan said that Anwar and Kali broke his other arm as well and doctors at the local THQ said that this arm was infected .Dr Salman Waseem amputated Sultan’s arm on July 14. “Sultan has sustained severe injuries, there are deep gashes in his neck and on the rest of his body,” said Dr Waseem.

Sultan said that he had repeatedly gone to the local police to register an FIR and pursue the case.

“The police kept telling me that I had no idea who had done this to me and that I was mistaken in accusing my wife and her lover,” he said.

“They told me to come back when I had the ‘right names’ as if I couldn’t even recognize my own wife!” Sultan added. The police finally did register an FIR, on July 28, but Sultan says they are still refusing to look for the accused.

Assistant sup inspector (ASI) Iqbal, the investigation officer, claimed that Sultan was not interested in pursuing the case. “He knows that he has the wrong names and told me to stop pursuing the matter,” Iqbal said.

Published in The Express Tribune, August 8^th, 2010.