KARACHI: A judicial magistrate on Saturday remanded in police custody a woman arrested for her alleged involvement in the death of her 11-year-old domestic help and wounding his brothers.

Police claimed to have arrested Shirin Asad and booked her for allegedly killing teenager Rafique and causing injuries to his three elder brothers, who worked at her house in Gulshan-i-Iqbal, on Feb 8.

On Saturday, the investigating officer produced the suspect before the judicial magistrate (East) to seek her physical remand in police custody for interrogation and investigation.

The IO submitted that according to the complainant, Maqbool Manthar Ali, the suspect used to beat her sons. He further submitted that she allegedly used to burn the victim with heated tongs and had pulled his nails with pliers.

He added that the suspect had also wounded the older boy, Mitha Khan. He pleaded for a 14-day remand in police custody for questioning and collecting evidence to complete the investigation and other legal formalities.

However, the magistrate remanded the suspect in police custody for five days, directing the IO to produce her on the next date along with an investigation report.

A case was registered under Sections 302 (premeditated murder), 324 (attempted murder), 334 (punishing for destroying limbs), and 337-A (i) (punishment for causing injuries) of the Pakistan Penal Code read with Sections 3 and 4 of the Prevention of Trafficking in Persons Act, 2018 at the Gulshan-i-Iqbal police station on the complaint of the victim’s father.

According to the FIR, the complainant’s three sons had been working at the woman’s house for the past many years.

It added that they were being paid Rs15,000 a month, which was being transferred to the complainant in district Tharparkar.

Published in Dawn, February 12th, 2023