SAHIWAL: A case was registered against a kiln owner and his assistant by the Saddar police Monday on charges of torturing and killing a woman worker at their kiln at the Dhako Chishti village on the outskirts of the Pakpattan city.
The victim’s, identified as Naseem Bibi’s, husband, Yaqoob Sheikh told the police Naseem and he were employed at the Zareef’s kiln for the last five years. About a week ago, Naseem requested Zareef to pay her Rs5,000 from her earned salary for medical treatment but Zareef did not accept the request.
As a result, the two exchanged harsh words and four days back, Zareef, along with his accounts assistant, Muhammad Saleem, locked her in one of the huts.
Yaqoob alleged the suspects tortured Naseem for four days. He kept requesting them to let his wife go but in vain. On Sunday, Naseem fainted due to the torture and Zareef left her in Yaqoob’s hut where he found her body when he reached there. Both the suspects escaped from the kiln.
After the incident, more than 50 kiln workers along with Yaqoob blocked the Pakpattan bypass road for three hours by placing deceased’s body on the road.
Luqman, homicide officer, quoting the doctor of the Pakpattan District Headquarters Hospital who conducted the post-mortem on Naseem’s body, said there were no marks of torture on it. However, the post-mortem report has not been released yet.
Saddar police registered a murder case against Zareef and Saleem.
Anjum Matto, executive director of the Insan Dost Association; an organisation working for kiln workers, said that Naseem was not registered with the labour department and a social security card was not issued to her. He said had she been registered with social security, she would not have needed money for her treatment.
Meanwhile, Chief Minister Shehbaz Sharif has taken notice of the incident and sought a report from the Punjab IGP.
