Women strangle blackmailing faith healer in Multan

MULTAN: Two women have been arrested for murder after strangling a Pakistani faith healer with a scarf after years of being blackmailed over videos he took of them, police said on Monday.

The women told police they had turned to Riaz Hussain for help in removing black magic curses but he instead took compromising videos that he threatened to release.

“During the investigation it was found that Riaz Hussain had been sexually harassing women for a long time under the pretext of spiritual healing,” police in the city of Multan in Punjab province said in a statement.

The women, with the help of their cousin and another man, strangled the faith healer with a scarf before dumping his body.

The four have been arrested for murder, police said, adding that a fifth man has also been arrested.

Faith healers are revered by some communities in Pakistan and their orders are followed devotedly, allowing for widespread exploitation.

A pregnant woman was brought to a hospital with a nail hammered into her head in 2022 after a faith healer said it would guarantee she gave birth to a boy.

Another woman died the following year after being tortured with sticks for days by a faith healer who claimed to be following an exorcism ritual.

Last week, a woman and her infant baby girl were killed for honour in Mansehra, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa police said.

The incident took place on the Friday following Eidul Fitr. The victim, identified as Rabia Shah, had married Muhammad Umar in 2022 through a court marriage against her family’s will.

The couple’s 16-month-old daughter, Ayeza, was also killed by the attackers.

Muhammad Umar, who currently resides in Saudi Arabia, had a brief call with his wife Rabia Shah over the phone. She told him she would call him again after offering her prayers, but she never called him back.

After a few hours, Umar kept calling his wife repeatedly, but no one picked up. He later learned that his wife and their 16-month-old daughter had been killed.

According to Mansehra Police DSP Javed Khan, the victims were allegedly murdered by Rabia Shah’s family for honour. He said that efforts were under way to arrest the accused, who are at large.