Crime: Man accused of murder, faces additional charges of violence

The suspect allegedly set a woman on fire after she turned down his advances.

RAWALPINDI:

Police have appended charges of violence and terrorism to a First Investigation Report (FIR) against a man who allegedly set a woman on fire after she refused to marry him.

The woman died of burn injuries in Holy Family Hospital (HFH) late Saturday night, sources told The Express Tribune on Monday. Sections from women protection and terrorism laws have been added to the FIR against the suspect, who allegedly set the woman on fire after dousing her in kerosene at her house on December.

Tahira Kausar, 34, lived in Dad Khan Colony along with her four children while her husband was working in Dubai. According to the FIR registered by her brother accusing the suspect of attempted murder, Imran made advances towards her, asking her to marry him. The complainant further said the accused told his sister to divorce her husband and marry him. But when she declined, an infuriated Imran set her on fire after dousing her in kerosene oil at her residence on December 19.

On the other hand, an investigation officer requesting anonymity, quoted Imran as saying that he was in a relationship with Kausar and had gone to her house when she, in an act of proving her love for him, sprinkled oil on herself and caught fire “accidently”.

However, Sub Inspector Muhammad Rehan who is investigating the case, said that before dying, the woman told the police that Imran had put her on fire. Earlier, the accused said Tahir  got injured as a result of a gas explosion at her house.

The official added that earlier on, only an attempted murder case was registered against the accused but with the victim’s death, the case took a new turn and violence against women and terrorism charges were added to the case.

According to an amendment of Section 336 of the Pakistan Penal Code, “whoever causes permanent disfigurement of face or any part of the organ of the body through using acid, fire, or any arsenic weapon shall be punished for a term which may extend to life imprisonment and a fine worth Rs500,00 to be recoverable from his property and from his shares of property, provided that such offence shall be triable in the Anti Terrorism Courts.”

Published in The Express Tribune, January 1^st, 2013.