Rape victims’ bodies to be exhumed, family not optimistic
By Kiyya Qadir Baloch
ISLAMABAD: More than two weeks after Islamabad police once again took over the rape and murder case of two girls that rocked the federal capital earlier this month, a team will exhume the bodies of the two victims, Sawera Hakim (over 18) and Shahzadi Bibi (11) next week so that further tests could be carried out.
The development came when the deputy commissioner Islamabad allowed the Islamabad police to exhume the bodies of the two victims who were reportedly raped and then killed in November 2012 and February this year, allegedly by Malik Ibrar and his girlfriend Zehra Mehek.
It is pertinent to mention here that a man along with his girlfriend was arrested on the charge of raping and murdering the two girls last month. Islamabad police last month had submitted an application requesting a fresh postmortem and collection of DNA samples from the bodies of the two girls who were allegedly raped and murdered by the couple. The two murderers allegedly also raped several other women. When asked about the postmortem of such a case when couple had already confessed the crime, Sub Inspector Mansoor Ahmed said “Police are planning to exhume the bodies of the two victims, as the police do not want the case to have any weaknesses during the trial.”
A source in the police department told Daily Times that the national forensic science laboratory department had advised the police to collect evidence from the crime scene instead of exhuming the bodies. However the investigating officer, Sub-Inspector Mansoor Ahmed from Bara Kahu police station said that evidence available to police was not sufficient to probe the murder case.
“It is impossible to collect evidence from crime scene as the bed sheet on which Sawera was killed and the clothes she was wearing had been washed while Shahzadi’s body was completely burnt, due to which no solid evidence could be collected to confirm whether or not she had been raped” said a senior police official.
When asked about obtaining permission from the victims’ families, Mansoor Ahmed said that he had not yet consulted the family members but would consult them after formation of a medical board in order to get samples from the remains.
Malik Sohail, a senior advocate while talking to Daily Times said that unless police was encouraged by the victims’ family the police cannot open the grave of the victims.
When contacted the family members of Sawera refused to comment whereas a relative of Shahzadi expressed his reservations.
‘’ We may allow the police to open the graves to give them a chance to nail the culprits. Otherwise, they would say that we aren’t cooperating,’’ he said.
Police are hoping the DNA tests will provide evidence to help with the investigation.
It is worth mentioning here that Zehra Mehek, the tutor girl during inquiry had already confessed the murder of Sawera and Shahzadi Bibi and said that she used to trap her girls and supplied them to her boyfriend Malik Ibrar.
11-year-old Shahzadi Bibi was allegedly given some tranquilizer by her tutor when she came to her house in Bhara Kahu on February 13. Later, Malik Ibrar with the help of Zehra Mehek took her to his residence at I-9/1 and allegedly raped her. Afterwards, he allegedly burnt the girl alive and dumped the body in a nullah.
Whereas the other victim, was a daughter of a senior officer and class fellow of Zehra Mehek. She was allegedly raped and strangled by the accused on November 4, 2012 in Bara Kahu.
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