Woman, kept in chains for days and tortured by husband, rescued in Sahiwal

E-Paper | March 11, 2026

A woman who had been tied with chains for several weeks and allegedly tortured by her husband was rescued by police in Sahiwal on Sunday.

Police said the suspect had allegedly kept his wife locked up at their residence in the Sheeran Wali Gali neighbourhood for at least 20 days. Police were alerted by neighbourhood residents and a team from Ghalla Mandi police station was dispatched to recover the woman.

TV footage showed the woman sitting on the floor of a room handcuffed and with her shackled feet connected to a wall with a chain.

"My husband and in-laws used to tie me up and beat me," the woman told police after her rescue.

Police arrested the suspect and registered a case against him under Section 342 (punishment for wrongful confinement) of the Pakistan Penal Code in the evening.

Editorial: Domestic violence

According to initial reports by police, the man had chained his wife up "on the pretext of her being possessed by demons" and would regularly beat her up brutally. He had also taken their two children away from her, including a breastfed baby.

Police initially suggested that the woman was of an unsound mind and had previously attempted suicide, however, the woman refuted this impression in her statement.

The rescued woman is currently in police custody.

Investigation officer Afzal Gill told DawnNewsTV that the woman will be presented in the court of a magistrate tomorrow who will determine whether she requires mental healthcare.

Her children presently live with her husband's family. Police have also arrested the suspect's brother.

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Javed

Mar 25, 2019 01:16am

Just shows we have a long long way to go, before we become average, and then start the journey to becoming exemplary.

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Zak

Mar 25, 2019 01:49am

Judge should chain the husband for similar days and have him given a similar thrashing by the wife. Fair is fair.

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Sana

Mar 25, 2019 01:50am

what a culture

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ABC

Mar 25, 2019 02:00am

Very shameful act by the husband tying and chaining his wife as if she was an animal. He should be give exemplary punishment. Hope those policemen keep their word and present her in court and do not send her to a mental clinic.

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N_Saq

Mar 25, 2019 02:02am

Very brutal indeed and the culprit (husband) must be punished but why arrest the brother?

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faisal

Mar 25, 2019 02:06am

Good. Give this beast an exemplary punishment!

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Seedoo

Mar 25, 2019 02:13am

While it is quite possible the woman may be in need to psychiatric help, it does not justify the mistreatment that she was given. Her husband and in-laws should be prosecuted.

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NewBorn

Mar 25, 2019 02:23am

PM Imran Khan should take notice of this.

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Mar 25, 2019 02:24am

Unbelievable

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Jennifer

Mar 25, 2019 02:35am

You need to provide modern education to children so that they grow up into a responsible adult. 10th century education system should be avoided.

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SATYAKI DATTA

Mar 25, 2019 03:05am

Only universal education, strict punishment against any form of harrassment and abuse and strong govt support for women in South Asian countries will discourage men and their families from such behaviour.

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Pervez khan

Mar 25, 2019 04:20am

What horrible and twisted people we have in this world

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Mian Shah Hussain

Mar 25, 2019 04:24am

Shameful. She needs to be taken to doctor.

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Changez Khan

Mar 25, 2019 04:39am

Now it is her husband's turn to be tied with chains and thrown in jail for rest of his life.

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Manu USA

Mar 25, 2019 05:10am

Education n punishment be must. Pakistan n India to control the population growth and move towards development. Not only material but moral as well.

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Just a thought

Mar 25, 2019 05:50am

I agree with all the comments previously posted. As the report mentioned that she has an infant, she probably gave birth recently and going through post partum psychosis. She needs immediate psychiatric evaluation. Post partum blues, post partum depression and post partum psychosis are conditions that even some educated people don't have a clue about, let alone others.

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Islamabad

Mar 25, 2019 07:24am

Horrible. On another note, why does the erstwhile FCR seem to be in effect in all of Pakistan. The report calls the husband the "suspect", yet the police see fit to arrest his brother. How is that justifiable?

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Tahir Raouf

Mar 25, 2019 07:26am

Needs exemplary punishment if husband proved guilty, no mercy

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Uzair

Mar 25, 2019 07:56am

'A magistrate will determine whether she requires mental healthcare"? Are magistrates competent in this regard? She was bound by chains, the husband alleges "demons", the woman alleges torture, she should have had a medico legal assessment immediately, which even an assistant sub-inspector can authorize. Also important here, is to highlight the ignorance prevalent in society. It might be abuse, but knowing our society where people actually do believe in such non-sense, it is entirely possible they actually believed doing what they said. An important contributor to this are religious clerics or prayer leaders, who usually aren't educated along strict guidelines. Which why it is important that religious education should be regulated.

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asif

Mar 25, 2019 08:22am

@Zak, I agree with you 100%, as a husband, a father of a girl child and a brother of two sisters. I stand by 100% to give this individual and his accomplice similar punishment to make an example of out of this. We are worst than animals when it comes to humanity, I also agree with Javed "We have a long way to go, before we become an average/normal" before talking about exceeding it. Another sad day in human history and I sure do hope this case become an example for the rest of the folks.

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MANZOOR JAFFERY

Mar 25, 2019 08:25am

@Sana, This goes on in Western culture too. Few years ago an American Jewish Attorney was arrested and punished on similar charges

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Pervez

Mar 25, 2019 09:00am

Messed up people who believe in demons and possessions to hurt their own

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Tekozer Farooqi

Mar 25, 2019 09:17am

What is the truth of it, I wonder.

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Tekozer Farooqi

Mar 25, 2019 09:19am

@Just a thought , ........ Could be.

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Haseeb Warraich

Mar 25, 2019 09:23am

we live in a society, where it is considered taboo to even speak about equal rights.

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Sree

Mar 25, 2019 09:31am

Horrific. Humans can't even be called as animals as they too have compassion. Feel terribly sorry for the woman.

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asgher

Mar 25, 2019 09:48am

@Sana, Cooking biryani and kheer on Eid is our culture. Dont know about you but this is not Pakistani Culture. Incidents like above are criminal acts and people get punished with such stuff.

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Naya Pakistani

Mar 25, 2019 09:48am

@Sana, its not a culture, please don't blame whole culture due to one man worng behaviour. Thanks

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Amir K

Mar 25, 2019 10:38am

The woman is in policecustody! She should be treated at a hospital as any victom of abuse would in a civiliced country.

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Kh javd

Mar 25, 2019 10:40am

She must have mental health assessment by a psychiatrist as soon as possible, with an aim to have her children back. Also she would need a long term place of refuge and rehab.

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Feroz

Mar 25, 2019 10:42am

@Tekozer Farooqi, The Truth is that the husband kept his wife fastened with a chain for 20 days and used to beat her. Are you looking for truth or justification for torture ?

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Huma

Mar 25, 2019 11:03am

Ridiculous! She should be at a woman’s shelter not being held by the police! The children should be taken away from the husbands family immediately and given to hers. And that entire family should be in jail!!

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Legend

Mar 26, 2019 02:56pm

Pure madness....pure savagery!

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Adil Jadoon

Mar 26, 2019 03:29pm

Chaining someone is not the treatment for mental illness. This man should know better and should be punished severely.

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Moonus

Mar 26, 2019 04:02pm

and then there is a lot of men in our society who continuously question the raising voices of women equality and protection in Pakistan and inquire in disgust... "akhir in orton ko kis chz say azadi chy? akhir yeh chahti kya hain...WE JUST WANT TO BE TREATED AS A HUMAN BEING..NOT A A NON LIVING THING OR OBJECT!!!

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Magaman

Mar 26, 2019 05:16pm

It seems that the culprit need psychological treatment immediately.

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ahmed

Mar 26, 2019 07:13pm

@Just a thought , You may be right and perhaps a psychatrist. She needs care that husband could not provide. Help her people.

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Jim Bo

Mar 26, 2019 08:48pm

Though I don't condone this act, it would be imperative to check facts of husband accusations of woman's "devilsh" behaviour, before you'd accuse him of being complicit in this deplorable action

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Reality

Mar 26, 2019 10:26pm

If the husband has some money and gives to the police then the police will try and prove the woman crazy.

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Ahmed

Mar 26, 2019 10:33pm

with cains and no freedom for 20 days, any sane mind will go insane.

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Ali (Indian)

Mar 27, 2019 03:34am

If she was indeed mentally unstable in any way (and therefore unable to effectively give “consent”) the husband should also be punished for rape!!!!!!!! She is accused of being “of unsound mind” and “possessed by demons” - yet he thought it was ok to get her pregnant - atleast twice???? Makes one wonder who was of unsound mind here!!!!

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s.r.reddy

Mar 27, 2019 04:47am

in Islam it is claimed that women carry a lot of respect

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