BAHAWALPUR: A woman who was abducted, gang-raped and subjected to acid attack by her abductors, who had brought her to the Bahawal Victoria Hospital (BVH) around a fortnight back in a critical condition, died at the healthcare facility here on Monday.

According to the district police spokesman, the victim, Seemab Iqbal, had come to Bahawalpur from Khichiwala in Fort Abbas tehsil of Bahawalnagar district to look for a job and was residing in a private hostel in Asef Town.

His brother, Zohaib Iqbal told police that he lost contact with Seemab as her phone was found switched off, prompting him to rush to Bahawalpur, where he filed a complaint with Baghdadul Jadid police.

On his complaint the police registered a first information report (FIR No 2390/24) of her abduction under section 365 of the Pakistan Penal Code on Dec 9.

CM seeks report from RPO

As per police, on the night of Dec 9, Seemab was brought in a critical condition to the BVH by two men, who attempted to flee after leaving her in the hospital’s emergency.

However, some people at the hospital, noticing suspicious activities of the suspects, chased and nabbed one of them, later identified as Haroon, while the other manged to escape.

On being examined by the doctors at the BVH, it transpired that the woman had been gang-raped and also suffered acid burns on her body.

At this, the police added offenses of rape and murder attempt (sections 376 and 324 of the PPC) in the earlier FIR.

The police claim that they have also arrested the other accomplice involved in the crimes, and both suspects are being interrogated.

They say that after the victim’s death, section 302 has also been added to the FIR.

According to BVH Medical Superintendent Dr Aamir Mahmood Bokhari, doctors had been trying to save the victim’s life, but she died on Monday.

After her death, the police moved the body to the morgue for a postmortem examination, and later handed it over to her family.

Meanwhile, according to an official handout, Punjab Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz took notice of the incident and sought a report from the regional police officer (RPO).

She also expressed sympathy with the victim’s family.

IUB RANKING: The Islamia University Bahawalpur (IUB) has been ranked at 331st position in the UI Green Metric World University Rankings 2024.

According to an IUB press release, IUB has emerged as a green university in line with the sustainable development goals (SDGs). With its outstanding performance in the UI Green Metric World University Rankings 2024,

IUB secured 331st position out of 1,477 universities around the world.

The press release says the ranking is a testament to the the varsity’s commitment to reducing its carbon footprint, to help create a sustainable future.

Vice Chancellor Prof Dr Muhammad Kamran says that it reflects the university’s dedication to sustainable development and environmental responsibility.

TWO DIE: A man and a woman died in separate accidents here on Monday.

According to Rescue 1122 officials, a woman identified as Aqsa (26) died after her gown accidentally got entangled in a wheel of an auto rickshaw and she fell on the ground, suffering a fatal head injury.

The accident occurred on a road near Mailiwali Gali on Bahawalpur-Hasilpur Road.

In another accident, a passerby, Talib Hussain, died after being hit by a speeding tractor-trolley on Head Rajkan Road near Yazman.

Published in Dawn, December 24th, 2024