LAHORE: A 21-year-old Hindu woman from Sindh’s Sanghar district, allegedly lured into a relationship and conversion to Islam by a man from Gujranwala, was handed back to her family after a judicial magistrate on Monday rejected a police request to shift her to a shelter home.

Shirimati Reeta, daughter of Wishan Das, a resident of Rana Rajput Colony in Tehsil Khipro, District Sanghar, of Sindh had gone missing from her hometown.

Sanghar police station registered a first information report on the complaint of her brother, Ravi Shankar.

The complainant alleged the record of a CCTV camera, installed at their residence, showed that some unidentified persons forcibly took his sister along with valuables and mobile phones with them during the night of Aug 23 and 24.

Police plea to shift her to shelter home rejected

Her family alleged that she was lured away and taken to Gujranwala, where she was pressured into converting to Islam and marrying a local man, Nazeer Hussain, who was already married.

The Sindh home department informed the counterparts in Punjab about the FIR and sought assistance in the recovery of the woman.

Acting on information, Eminabad police of Gujranwala recovered the woman and produced her before a judicial magistrate on Monday.

During proceedings, the investigating officer also filed an application, requesting the magistrate to send Reeta to Darul Aman for “safe custody,” claiming that she was unwilling to go with her parents.

However, her lawyers Asad Jamal and Kheta Ram opposed the police request, telling the court that Reeta was in fact willing to return to her parents’ home with her brother, Kuldeep Kumar, who was present in court.

They said Reeta wanted to record her statement as well.

Magistrate Muhammad Suleman ordered that Reeta’s statement be recorded directly.

In her statement, given on oath, Reeta said she wished to go with her brother to her parents’ home in Rana Rajput Colony of her own free will and consent.

She added that she faced no threat to her life and was under no pressure while recording the statement.

The magistrate, in his order, ruled that in view of Reeta’s recorded statement, the police request to send her to Darul Aman “is hereby turned down.”

The magistrate allowed her to go with her brother, Kuldeep Kumar, making him responsible for her safe custody and transportation back to her parents’ home in Sanghar.

Sanghar police personnel were also present in the court.

Published in Dawn, September 1st, 2026