RAWALPINDI: Punjab Police Monitoring Cell has sought complete records of all cases involving the blind murder of women, unidentified female bodies recovered from canals or elsewhere, suicides, and inquiries under Section 174 of the Criminal Procedure Code (CrPC) that occurred across the province between 2019 and September 2025.

According to sources, the in-charge investigations of all Punjab districts, including Rawalpindi, have been directed to appear before the additional inspector general (AIG) monitoring Punjab with the relevant records.

A letter titled “Appearance of In-charge Investigation” was issued by the AIG Monitoring to district police officers, including those in Lahore and Rawalpindi. It stated that the competent authority had ordered submission of records of blind murders of women, cases where deceased women remain unidentified, and incidents in which women’s bodies were found in canals or other locations.

The police have also been asked to provide details of suicides and attempted suicides by women, along with cases reported under Section 174 CrPC that remain under investigation. All FIRs, reports, and related documents are to be presented at the AIG Monitoring’s Lahore office.

Police sources said the records were being sought to review investigations into such cases and to develop a strategy for improving the handling of these trace cases involving women. Legal experts noted that Section 174 CrPC requires police to inquire into unnatural deaths, including suicides, accidental deaths, or deaths under suspicious circumstances, and to determine and report the apparent cause of death.

Published in Dawn, September 19th, 2025