Burnt alive?: Mystery shrouds man’s death after car set on fire

Eyewitnesses say man tried to escape burning vehicle; police claim murder committed elsewhere.

ISLAMABAD:

A man was allegedly burnt to death on Monday after unknown persons set his car on fire in Humak Town in the jurisdiction of Sihala Police Station.

Muhammad Shahid, an eyewitness, told The Express Tribune that he saw a man trying to escape from the back seat of a burning Suzuki Cultus at Kak Pul in Humak Town near Suzuki Motors.

He said that some people who tried to help rescue the man couldn’t because of the sheer force of the flames billowing from the car. He added that the police and Rescue 1122 were informed about the incident.

“It appeared as though the man’s hands and legs were tied with a rope due to which he could not get out,” said Shahid.

Other eyewitnesses said the man had been burnt beyond recognition by the time rescue officials had arrived at the scene.

Rescue 1122 Media Coordinator Muhammad Ihsan said that rescue workers found a charred body in the car’s rear seat after they had extinguished the fire.



“I think the man was murdered as his hands and legs were tied, restricting his movement,” he said, adding that the body had been shifted to Pakistan Institute of Medical Sciences for an autopsy and DNA tests.

When contacted, Sihala Police Station House Officer Chaudhry Aslam confirmed that they were informed about the incident. “When our team reached the site, the firefighters had already extinguished the flames,” he said.

Aslam said that an old enmity may have been the motive for the incident. “I believe he may have been killed elsewhere, after which his body was brought here and burnt to ensure he couldn’t be identified,” he said.

However, that the exact cause of death had not been determined yet, he added.

Published in The Express Tribune, July 23^rd, 2013.