ISLAMABAD: Police on Wednesday claimed that the judge and his wife involved in alleged torture of a 13-year-old maid had gone into hiding, thus hindering the investigations.

According to police officers, the police teams raided the judge’s residences in Islamabad and Lahore, but found both the houses locked.

According to them, the police high-ups had not yet decided whether the case should be investigated at the police station level or by the special investigation unit, as required under the Anti-Rape (Investigation and Trial) Act 2021.

They said the investigation was facing a delay as the concerned superintendent of police (SP) had not yet shared details of the case and documents available with the zonal police with the investigation wing.

The complaint of Manga Khan, father of the maid, and a medico-legal certificate (MLC) which mentioned 15 injuries on the body of the girl, including marks of strangulation, had been provided to the Capital police by the Sargodha police, but the suspect was not charged with the sections relevant to strangulation, torture and injuring.

It was after several requests by the Sargodha police that the capital police registered a watered-down FIR.

The case was registered at the Humak police station in response to the complaint from the girl’s father, a labourer by profession.

According to the FIR, he sent his daughter to the house of the judge at Zartaj Housing Society through an acquaint against Rs10,000 per month salary.

On July 23, he along with his wife and brother-in-law came to the judge’s house to meet his daughter and found her injured and weeping in a room, it added.

They found infected injuries on his head besides wounds all around the face, both arms and legs, the FIR said, adding her tooth was also found broken and swilling on both lips and eyes.

When asked, she told her family that the judge’s wife used to torture and beat her with baton and spoon daily and did not provide her dinner.

A police officer told Dawn that not only hiring an underage person for the household jobs was an offence, but concealing facts was also a crime as the girl was allegedly detained and tortured at the house of the judge but he did nothing to rescue or save her from his wife.

Meanwhile, the police through its official Twitter handle claimed that efforts were in progress to arrest the “female accused.”

“The case will be investigated on merit, besides all legal requirements will be met as law is equal for all,” the police claimed.

The concerned officer and the spokesman for the police were not found available for comments despite repeated attempts.

Published in Dawn, July 27th, 2023