SIALKOT, Nov 25: A vegetable vendor’s 13-year-old daughter on Friday lost her speaking power after a self-proclaimed spiritual healer literally whipped her with hot iron rods for three hours at Bilalpura-Adalatgarh locality in Sialkot tehsil. The fake spiritual healer, who introduced himself as Baba Amjad, claimed that the process was necessary to free the girl of witches.

Information gleaned by Dawn revealed that Muhammad Farooq’s daughter Irum had been through fits of depression after the death of her mother Anwar Bibi 10 months ago. Farooq sent Irum to her uncle’s house at Usmanpura for her medical treatment and her uncle took her to Baba Amjad.

Claiming that the girl was under the spell of witches, the man burnt iron rods in a mud stove at his place and started whipping the girl. The girl suffered severe wounds on her body and eventually lost her speaking power.

It was only after she raised hue and cry when people rushed to her rescue and took her to hospital in critical condition. The fake spiritual healer managed to escape.

The Uggoki police are investigating.

The girl’s father told journalists that she was fighting for life in hospital.