RAWALPINDI: Out of all in-charge investigators who carried out or supervised investigations into blind murder cases of women, only about 26 per cent appeared at a top-level meeting, raising serious concern among the relevant authorities.

According to the Punjab Additional Inspector General (AIG) of Police Investigation Branch, only 26 per cent of the in-charge investigators in Punjab, who conducted or oversaw investigations of blind murder cases of women, responded to the conference, held a week ago to discuss the status of unknown murder cases of women from 2010 to September 15, 2025.

The cases included unknown women’s bodies recovered from canals or other places, and proceedings under Section 173 CrPC regarding attempted suicides of women or FIRs registered in such cases.

In a reminder to all regional police officers (RPOs), city police officers (CPOs) and district police officers (DPOs), the AIG Investigation Punjab said in-charge investigators across Punjab, who carried out or supervised investigations of blind murder cases of women between 2019 and September 15, 2025, had been directed to bring along the progress reports of these cases.

However, only 64 out of 240 investigators attended the meeting, raising serious concerns among the authorities.

In his memo, the AIG investigation directed RPOs and CPOs to ensure that the remaining in-charge investigators are strictly instructed to attend his office with the required documents. He also said that police stations where no blind murder case was reported should submit a clearance certificate.

Earlier, the Punjab Police Monitoring Cell had sought a complete record of all cases of blind murders of women, unidentified women’s bodies discovered in canals or elsewhere, attempted suicides or suicides of women, and cases investigated under Section 174 CrPC that occurred across Punjab between 2019 and September 2025.

According to sources, the in-charge investigators of all Punjab police, including Rawalpindi, have been asked to appear before the Additional Inspector General Monitoring Punjab with the records of all registered cases.

The Additional IG Monitoring Punjab also issued a letter titled, “Appearance of In-charge Investigation” to the district police officers of all Punjab, including Lahore and Rawalpindi.

The letter said the competent authority had ordered all in-charge investigators to appear with complete records and details of blind murder cases of women or murders where the deceased women were unidentified, including incidents where women’s bodies were found in canals or other places.

Details were also sought about unidentified women’s bodies and cases involving attempted or committed suicides of women, or cases registered under Section 174 CrPC that remained under investigation.

In addition, all FIRs and related reports, along with the complete district records, were to be presented at the office of the Additional IG Monitoring Punjab in Lahore.

Police sources said the purpose of summoning the records and investigators was to review progress in such cases involving women and to formulate a strategy for investigating these untraced cases, including improving the overall investigation system.

According to law experts, Section 174 CrPC mandates police inquiries into unnatural deaths such as suicides or accidental deaths, to investigate and report the apparent cause of death.

The inquiry covers suicides, deaths by animals or machinery, accidental deaths, or deaths under circumstances that raise suspicion of an offence.

The Rawalpindi police have already submitted details of blind murder cases of women registered between 2019 and September 15, 2025.

Four such cases, registered with Saddar Beroni, Rawat and Jatli police stations, remain untraced.

Similarly, two cases of unidentified women’s bodies recovered from canals or other places were reported at Rawat Police Station, Rawalpindi, during this period. These cases also remain untraced.

Published in Dawn, September 26th, 2025