BAHAWALPUR: Five people allegedly gouged out the eyes of a man during a brutal torture at village 13-Soling, within the jurisdiction of Baghdadul Jadid police station on Monday.

According to police and other sources, the suspects tortured Sufian on charges of stealing a donkey cart. During the torture, the suspects allegedly gouged out his eyes.

The police spokesman told Dawn that victim Sufian has completely lost vision in one eye, while the other eye was seriously damaged. He also sustained torture scars on various parts of his body.

Following orders from DPO Asad Sarfraz, a police team was dispatched to the scene to arrest the culprits, while the victim was admitted to the emergency ward of Bahawal Victoria Hospital (BVH).

The spokesman stated that the motive behind the gruesome crime was a land dispute. He also confirmed the arrest of one suspect identified as Iqrar Hussain, out of the five suspects.

The registration of a first information report against the suspects was in process at the time of filing of this report in the evening.

DEATH SENTENCE: An anti-terrorist court (ATC) on Monday handed down death sentence along with a fine of Rs1 million to a man Raham Ali of Tarinda Muhammad Panah in Rahim Yar Khan district.

However, his co-accused, Zahra Bibi, was acquitted of the murder charges. According to the prosecution, in 2023, Raham Ali, along with Zahra Bibi, attacked Muhammad Nazim with acid due to an old enmity in the jurisdiction of Tarinda Muhammad Panah police station in Rahim Yar Khan district.

Muhammad Nazim later succumbed to his injuries in the hospital. The Tarinda police charged both suspects with murder and ATA offences. Following their arrest, the police submitted their challan to the ATC in Bahawalpur.

ATC Judge Muhammad Arshad Anjum sentenced Raham Ali to death and imposed a fine of Rs1 million, while acquitting Zahra Bibi of the murder charges, giving her the benefit of the doubt.

The judge also ordered Raham Ali to pay Rs1 million in compensation to the bereaved family of Muhammad Nazim.

Published in Dawn, July 2nd, 2024