LAHORE: A minor girl was allegedly tortured to death in her Baghbanpura home on Shalimar Road on Friday.

The body of Muskan (8) showed clear signs of torture.

Authorities took her father and stepmother into custody for interrogation after neighbours claimed they had previously abused the girl over trivial matters.

A police official said that a next-door neighbour alerted them when they heard the girl crying. Upon arriving at the scene, police found Muskan with multiple injuries covering various parts of her body.

She had died from severe wounds, including deep cuts on her neck, and her swollen limbs indicated she had been beaten with a hard object. There were signs of burns on her arms. The visible bruises indicated an act of extreme brutality.

The police cordoned off certain areas of the house for forensic analysis.

According to neighbours, Muskan’s father had remarried and the young girl had reportedly faced harsh treatment from her stepmother.

Police are questioning the father to determine his role in the alleged abuse that led to Muskan’s death.

The body was shifted to the city morgue for an autopsy.

Shot dead: An elderly man was killed while two passersby were injured by an armed man in Iqbal Town area here on Friday.

A police official said the incident occurred near Bhikhewala Chowk where suspected attacker Sohail and Irfan exchanged hot words with each other over a petty issue of sharing jokes. Later, Sohail opened indiscriminate fire. Irfan escaped unhurt while his uncle, Sarwar (65), and two passersby Mahboob and Zeeshan suffered bullet injuries.

The injured persons were taken to a hospital where Sarwar succumbed to his injuries, while the condition of the passersby was stated to be stable.

The official said the suspect fled the scene and the police registered a case against him with no arrest till the filing of this report.

Published in Dawn, September 14th, 2024