Judicial inquiry finds no visible torture marks on two women who died in police custody

LAHORE: A judicial inquiry into the deaths of two women who died after being taken into custody by Lahore’s Township police has found no apparent marks of violence or visible injuries on their bodies, although the final cause of death will be determined after post-mortem and forensic examinations.

The report stated that black spots were found on the lungs of both women, while their hearts were found to be filled with clots.

Their liver, kidneys and stomach were found to be healthy, according to the post-mortem report.

The post-mortem examinations were conducted two days after the women’s deaths, the report said.

Samples have been sent for histopathological examination to determine the exact cause of death, according to the report.

The final cause of death will be established after the histopathology results are received, sources said.

Judicial Magistrate Kamran Karamat, who conducted the inquiry under Section 176 of the Code of Criminal Procedure (CrPC), submitted an interim inquiry report to the District and Sessions Judge, Lahore.

According to the report, the magistrate personally examined the bodies of Amna, daughter of Gulshan, and Anmool, daughter of Azmat, at Jinnah Hospital, Lahore, at around 5pm.

The report stated that “apparently, there were no visible marks of violence or torture” on the bodies of the deceased women.

The magistrate also recorded the statement of Dr Saeeda Amjad, PGR, Medicine Unit-I, Jinnah Hospital, who stated that the two women had been brought to the hospital in a dead condition.

The inquiry was initiated following directions issued to the judicial magistrate under Section 176 CrPC to ascertain the cause of death of the two women.

The magistrate subsequently visited Township police station and recorded statements of police officials and other relevant personnel, including the station house officer, investigation officials, moharrars and other staff.

Following the inquiry, the SHO of Township police station was directed to take custody of the bodies and arrange their post-mortem examinations in accordance with the law and prescribed procedures.

The inquiry report makes clear that the findings regarding the absence of visible signs of violence are not a final determination.

It stated that the final position regarding any injuries or violence would be established after receipt of the post-mortem report.

“Prima facie, no apparent marks of violence or visible injuries were found on the bodies of the accused persons. However, a final determination in this regard shall be made upon receipt of the post-mortem report,” the report said.

The development comes days after the two women died under mysterious circumstances following their arrest by Township police in connection with an alleged fraud case.

According to the police version reported earlier, Anmool and Amna were taken into custody on August 4 after they were allegedly involved in defrauding a family in Township Sector B.

Police had claimed that the women were begging in the area and entered a house after asking for water.

They allegedly persuaded a girl to hand over her gold earrings on the pretext of performing a spiritual ritual, or dum. The family reportedly recovered the earrings before contacting police through the emergency helpline.

A fraud-related case was subsequently registered against them, according to police.

The families, however, disputed the police account and alleged that the women had been subjected to torture in custody.

Relatives had also alleged that they were initially given conflicting information about the women’s whereabouts before being informed of their deaths.

Family members had claimed that visible marks of torture were present on the bodies, prompting demands for an impartial investigation.

Police had rejected claims that the cause of death had been established and maintained that the exact circumstances would only become clear after medical and forensic examinations.

The judicial inquiry report has now ruled out any apparent or visible signs of violence on preliminary examination, but has stopped short of exonerating anyone or determining the cause of death.

The report specifically stated that the post-mortem findings will be crucial in determining the final cause of death.

The interim inquiry report was submitted to the District and Sessions Judge, Lahore, for further orders.