Hafizabad police on Friday rescued a 50-year-old woman who was held captive in a room with her own brothers for 10 years.
According to police spokesman Ahmad Jamal, department officials acting in an anonymous complaint over the phone raided the house where the woman was held captive. The woman was allegedly locked up for an inheritance dispute.
According to the first investigation report (FIR) recorded against the two men, the person who notified the police said that the woman's screams did not allow the neighbors to sleep through the night and it seemed she was close to death. The informant said the woman should be rescued humanely.
According to the FIR, a police team was sent to the address, only to find the house closed from outside. While the police tried to find a way inside the facilities, several neighbors met in the street with them. Soon after, one of the brothers returned home and "threatened to kill" the police officers present at the scene.
Before the man's refusal to let the police enter the house, the officials broke the lock. Once inside, officials found a semi-unconscious woman locked inside a room. The woman was found in her own excrement.
The neighbors identified the woman as the sister of the two men.
After the police managed to get the woman out of the room, a neighbor bathed her and changed her clothes before they sent her to the Rescue 1122 Trauma Center.
The police then arrested the two men and registered an FIR against them under sections 344, 346, 498A, 506, 186 and 34 of the Pakistan Criminal Code.
Punjab Minister of Human Rights, Ijaz Alam, was also present at the time of the raid. He said the woman would receive the best possible care while those guilty of the heinous act would receive exemplary punishment.
Source: https://www.dawn.com/news/1503867/hafizabad-police-rescue-woman-held-captive-for-10-years-by-brothers-over-inheritance-dispute
