LAHORE: A 12-year-old girl was injured and admitted to a hospital on Sunday after she was allegedly tortured in the name of treatment by a faith healer who visited her home in Chuhng to perform exorcism on her.

According to police sources, Humaira Afridi was reportedly getting fits for some days. Her mother Nasreen Bibi suspected her daughter was possessed and reported the matter to a ‘faith healer’.

On Sunday, when the ‘pir’ visited the girl at her house he claimed the mother was right. “He started the girl’s treatment by pulling her ears first.

The girl started crying but the ‘pir’ continued. Then he started slapping her and continued until the girl fell unconscious. Her ears also started bleeding,” a police official said.

He said as soon as the girl fell unconscious the ‘healer’ fled. Nasreen then took her daughter to Jinnah Hospital for treatment.

“The girl’s treatment is under way and she is stable,” the official added. He said Chuhng police had registered a case under sections 354 and 452 against the fake healer.

Police teams were also trying to trace his whereabouts to arrest him.Punjab Chief Minister Shahbaz Sharif took serious notice of the incident, directing his Adviser on Health Khawaja Salman Rafique to reach the hospital.

Rafique visited Jinnah Hospital and inquired after the girl’s health. He said he would personally monitor her treatment as well as follow up on the arrest of the ‘pir’.

MURDER: A young property dealer was gunned down allegedly by his rivals near Elite Town, Ferozepur Road, over a land dispute.

According to police, Rana Abbas, a resident of Nishtar Colony, was on his way home on a motorcycle. As he reached near Elite Town, his rivals Nawaz alias Bhola and others sprayed him with bullets.

He received serious injuries on his legs and was shifted to the General Hospital where he died during treatment.

Police said Abbas had died from excessive bleeding. They said the culprits had also killed Abbas’s brother Ashfaq sometime back over the same dispute. Special teams had been formed to arrest the killers after the Kahna police registered a case against them, the police said.