Duped: Trappings of a fake peer

Spiritual leader sexually abuses, defrauds woman

ISLAMABAD: Sana* travelled all the way from Lahore to Islamabad just to, literally, dig a grave.

Sana, a homemaker attempting to win back her second husband’s attention, cried foul after a spiritual leader allegedly sexually abused her and  tricked her into paying him to teach her what he called ‘ways to get her husband’s attention’.

Details of the case surfaced on Thursday after the Golra police registered an FIR against the peer, Jamal*, and his disciple Abrar*, for trespassing in a graveyard and fraud, said a police offical.

A resident of Sabzazar, Lahore, Sana was frustrated after her husband continued to ignore her for two years while showing interest in other women. As a solution to her problem, the complainant, decided to seek help from a peer from Jodh village, who claimed to be an expert in black magic, the police revealed.

On Wednesday, Sana and Abrar reached Jodh village, two kilometres from Golra. Abrar assured her that ‘peer sahib’ would resolve her issue in one night.

The police further said that Sana spent the night at Jamal’s house, where she claims she was sexually abused. The spiritual leader told Sana that he had several djinns under his control and if she followed his order, her husband would have eyes only for her.

The women, in her statement, informed the police that she paid Abrar Rs300, after he promised to take her to Golra from Lahore.

Jamal later asked Sana to go to a local graveyard, dig a grave, and bury an amulet inside.

The police said that on the direction of Jamal, Abrar went to dig up the grave of Abdul Qayum Raja. The deceased’s family found out about this and rushed to the graveyard.

Abrar claimed before the locals that Sana was his wife and a peer had asked them to put an amulet inside the grave. But when the locals checked their identity cards, they determined that the pair was not married, said a police official who was involved in the initial investigation.

Speaking to The Express Tribune Raja Raza, a resident of the village and son of the late Abdul Qayum Raja, told The Express Tribune that Jamal was a fraudster who had recently shifted to the village. He added that Abrar lived in a rented house a short distance from the village.

Golra SHO Haq Nawaz Ranja said that on Sana’s complaint, the police registered a case against the peer and his disciple for fraud and trespassing in a burial place.

He further added that the court had sent the accused on judicial remand to Adiala Jail.

Ranja said that locals had informed the police that Jamal had recently moved to the village with his family and never seemed to leave his house. The woman was sent back to Lahore after the police recorded her statement.  Further investigation is under way.

*Names changed to protect identity

Published in The Express Tribune, April 17^th, 2015.