Daily Times

KARACHI: The case of seventeen years old female housemaid’s death has taken a new twist after the initial findings of medical board on Tuesday confirmed that the girl was murdered. The owner of the house and the officials spoiled the important evidence from the spot to misguide investigators, a forensic expert told Daily Times on Wednesday.

Housemaid was found dead from a house in Karachi’s DHA defence housing authority area on Saturday in the remits of Gizri police station.

Initially, Gizri police and the employers declared the death as suicide but on Sunday police registered a murder case against a couple for allegedly killing a teenage female housemaid after the family of a victim staged a protest against the alleged murder on the second consecutive day demanding police to register a murder case.

Initially, the police had claimed that the girl ended her life by hanging herself to a ceiling fan.

Police officials said that the deceased had been working as a maid at a house for the last two years and committed suicide over unexplained reasons. Her body was later handed over to her family for burial. Police officials said that the initial postmortem report suggests that the girl had no mark of torture on her body; however, the samples have been reserved for blood test and chemical examination.

On the other hand, the family and the relatives rejected the claims made by the employer and the police too. The family also staged a protest outside the Gizri police station while laying the body of a victim and claimed that the girl did not commit a suicide but she was murdered, however, the police insisted that she committed suicide.

A large number of family members and relatives continued to stage a protest against the incident. They demanded the registration of a murder case over her killing. “My daughter did not commit suicide but she was murdered”, alleged victim’s father. “The police should investigate the matter on our demands. It seems that the police was trying to helping the employer.”

As the family continued to stage a protest, demanding to register a murder case, the police on Sunday registered a murder case.

The Gizri police registered an FIR No. 266/17 under Sections 302, 376/34 against employer, namely Hassan Rizvi and his wife, Nighat on behalf of victim’s mother, and initiated further investigations, however, no arrest was made till the filing of this news story.

Police officials said that though the police have registered a murder cases against the employers, however, the police was investigating the case from different angles and also looking for analysing data of victim’s cell-phone and a statement would issues after completion of preliminary investigations.

Dr Karar told Daily Times that the girl did not commit suicide and was murdered, the medical board confirmed on Tuesday.

According to MLO Dr Karrar Abbasi, who was part of the autopsy procedure carried by a four-member medical team, said that it did not seem to be a case of suicide. The body bore torture marks on face, lips and body, according to Karrar.

According to sources, the autopsy of the body was carried out second time upon the family’s insistence. The medical board also expressed anger over the police officers for poorly investigating the matter.

Sources said the medical board has asked to visit the site of the incident reinvestigate the crime scene because on Saturday when police reached the spot, the husband and wife had already moved the body to another room. The police were shown a shawl hanging from the ceiling fan.

“The employers and the police team of the Gizri station had spoiled the crime scene to destroy important evidences” and forensic experts said.

The employers, Hassan Rizvi and his wife, said they found the maid hanging from a fan in her room, according to the police.

The maid’s paternal uncle had said that the girl had called him at night and informed him that she was going to a picnic on Saturday.

The uncle also claimed that the employer used to give her extra money frequently and had also given her a mobile phone, of which Rizvi’s wife did not know.

Earlier, the medical board had rejected the post-mortem in Jinnah Postgraduate Medical Centre (JPMC) due to suspicious role of the IO as he was seen sitting in the same car with Rizvi and also with MLO during the first post-mortem.

Published in Daily Times, September 21^st 2017.