SIALKOT, Nov 28: A 13-year-old girl who was brutally tortured by a Pir (spiritual healer) five days back, succumbed to her injuries at an Uggoki hospital late on Sunday night. Reports said the ill-fated girl, Irum Shahzadi, daughter of a local vegetable seller Muhammad Farooq, had been under severe depression for the last 10 months after the death of her mother Anwar Bibi. Irum’s uncle took her to a so-called Pir, Baba Amjad, in Bilalpura’s Adalatgarh locality near Uggoki to get her cured of her ‘ailment’. The Pir claimed that the girl was possessed by some spirits (Jins) and needed to be exorcized.

The Pir severely tortured the girl for three hours with hot iron rods at his outhouse five days back, inflicting serious burn injuries to her. Due to the torture the girl became dumb.

She was admitted to a local hospital in a critical condition, where she died.

Police handed over the body to her heirs. She was laid to rest at Uggoki in the presence of hundreds of mourners from all walks of life amid tight security.

The police have registered a murder case against accused Amjad and his unidentified accomplice. However, no arrests have been made so far.

Muhammad Farooq, the father of the deceased girl, told journalists that the police was reluctant to arrest the influential accused. He alleged that the police was forcing the family for patch up with the accused.

Local people have expressed grave concern over the incident, demanding immediate arrest of the accused and strict legal action against him.