Eunuch and cross dresser’s bodies found

Bodies of victims found burnt; attacks occurred within a day of each other.

SHEIKHUPURA: Unidentified men murdered a eunuch and set his body on fire near the Sheikhupura police precincts on Sunday, a day after a similar incident occurred near Seema Canal.

According to police officials, the incident took place on Lahore Road between Ayesha Stop and Fauzia Chowk.

The eunuch in question could not be identified as his body was burned beyond recognition. On Saturday, another boy who reportedly dressed up as a eunuch was burnt near the Seema Canal. “We cannot confirm that the earlier case was a eunuch, he was most likely a cross dresser. We found bits of jewellery and clothing at the crime scene which indicate that the boy had dressed up as a woman. He was most likely a beggar,” Sheikhupura superintendent police (SP) Syed Amin Bukhari told reporters. Bukhari added that the area in which both bodies were found was usually frequented by eunuchs and cross dressers who beg in the streets.

“This is the second brutal murder of its kind within a day. Both of the bodies were burned beyond recognition, their nails were pulled out and their eyes were removed,” Bukhari told reporters, adding that the autopsy report could not confirm the identity of either of the victims and they were both laid to rest near the police station.

“We could not identify either of them. They were burnt beyond recognition and before that they had been brutally tortured,” Bukhari said, adding that the police was investigating any suspicious activity in the area.

“We have put people on the look out in the area and we have already released pictures of the bodies to caution people about what has happened,” constable Rehman said, adding that he hoped someone would come forward with evidence or an indication into who could have been behind the murders. “So far we have no leads on the case and are looking for anything to go on,” he said.

Police officials said that these serial murders had caused a lot of hysteria in the district as both bodies had been tortured. “So far we don’t have any identification of the victims or the perpetrators and naturally people are worried,” Bukhari said, adding that Sheikhupura was normally a safe district and such a brutal crime was rare.

SP Bukhari has formed two investigation teams to look into the murder. “There is one team to investigate each murder. These teams will follow any leads that crop up regarding the victims,” he said, adding that the police was determined to catch the murderers as soon as possible.

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