‘Exorcist’ held for burning woman’s face
KARACHI: The Korangi police on Wednesday arrested a so-called faith healer and his aide for allegedly burning a young woman’s face in an attempt “to exorcise an evil spirit from her”, officials said.
They said Munawwar Ali and his assistant Khalid were arrested in a Korangi 2 locality after an FIR was lodged against them for causing burn wounds on 28-year-old Naushaba on Monday evening.
“The family of the victim approached the police station on Tuesday,” said Inspector Shakir Ali, the SHO of the Korangi police station. “The woman is already in the burns centre of the Civil Hospital Karachi, where we took her statement, and she narrated her ordeal to us. Initial findings determined the role of Munawwar and his aide in her injuries.”
According to the FIR (189/2010) lodged against the two suspects under Sections 109 (punishment of abetment if the Act abetted committed in consequence), 324 (attempted murder), 419 (punishment for cheating by personation), 420 (cheating and dishonestly inducing delivery of property) and 34 (common intention) of the Pakistan Penal Code, the woman accompanied by her mother had been visiting the ‘exorcist’ for the last one week.
“The family had paid Rs10,000 to Munawwar to treat the woman, who they believed was under the influence of an evil spirit. On Monday evening – the last day of her treatment – she was forced to put her face into a fire that left her seriously injured,” said an official at the Korangi police station.
He said the woman told the police that when she resisted, Munawwar and Khalid tied her legs and hands with ropes and repeated their exercise that made her unconscious.
An official at the burns centre said the woman received three per cent burns on the face.
Source: Dawn
Date:7/8/2010
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