LAHORE/TOBA TEK SINGH: Police have arrested the chief executive officers (CEOs) of the contractor company overseeing the under-construction Data Darbar expansion project following the deaths of a woman and her nine-month-old daughter in an open manhole, officials said on Friday.
Read More: Lahore manhole deaths: Police to interrogate company CEO
Lahore Investigation DIG Zeeshan Raza told Dawn that Salman and Usman, the two CEOs, were taken into custody under the case registered with Bhati Gate Police. The police said Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz had ordered strict action against all responsible parties. The investigation will also question the project’s contractor and the company’s CEO to determine lapses in safety protocols that led to the tragedy. The government has already suspended the entire project team, including officials involved in the Bhati Chowk remodelling, after preliminary inquiries revealed negligence.
داتا دربار منصوبے پر کام کرنے والی پوری ٹیم معطل ۔معطل کیے جانے والے افسران میں پراجیکٹ ڈائریکٹر، ڈپٹی ڈائریکٹر، اسسٹنٹ ڈائریکٹر اور سب انجینئر شامل،کنٹریکٹر پر فوری مقدمہ درج کرانے کی ہدایت۔۔ pic.twitter.com/QKncZEXdd6
— Shakir Mehmood Awan (@ShakirAwan88) January 29, 2026
The victims, Sadia (24) and her daughter Rida Fatima, were buried in their native village in Jhang on Friday. Sadia’s husband, Ghulam Murtaza, recounted that after the incident, he contacted Rescue 1122, which initially struggled to retrieve the bodies due to narrow pipelines. He further alleged that police officials, including the SP, DSP, and SHO, detained and physically assaulted him while attempting to coerce a false confession.
A high-powered inquiry panel later held the SP, DSP, and SHO responsible for unprofessional conduct, noting that Murtaza was unlawfully detained and tortured for approximately three hours. The report confirmed that the woman lost her balance while boarding a rickshaw and fell into the manhole with her infant, who was also swept into the sewer line. Police officials reportedly acted prematurely based on Rescue 1122’s initial assessment, failing to conduct a proper investigation before detaining the husband.
Read More: Punjab CM orders contractor to pay Rs 10m to manhole tragedy
The inquiry emphasised that immediate responsibilities of law enforcement include thorough investigation prior to taking punitive action, a protocol allegedly ignored in this case.