An investigation is underway in a case involving the torture of a 13-year-old housemaid. The Special Joint Investigation Team (SJIT) has been established to probe the incident and gather evidence. As part of their investigation, the team has obtained CCTV footage to shed light on the incident and establish the facts surrounding the case.
The accused, the wife of a civil judge, appeared before the SJIT at the office of the deputy inspector general of police operation on Sunday to provide her statement. According to sources, the accused contradicted the content of the First Information Report (FIR) and claimed that the allegations against her were fabricated. Specifically, the accused disputed the claim in the FIR that the housemaid’s family took her to Sargodha after visiting the accused’s house in Zartaj Housing Society. Instead, the accused alleged that she personally took the girl to the bus terminal at Chungi No 26 and handed her over to her family.
In an attempt to support her claims, the accused presented CCTV footage during the hearing of her bail application in the court of additional district and sessions judge Islamabad. However, the SJIT expressed dissatisfaction with the police’s failure to obtain the CCTV footage themselves. It was later discovered that the footage produced by the accused had been edited and only contained recordings that were in her favor.
The SJIT thoroughly examined the case file, including supplementary statements, and the content of the FIR that was challenged by the accused. One of the supplementary statements indicated that the housemaid’s family had requested her employer to drop her at a bus terminal, contradicting the FIR’s claim that the family took her from the accused’s house.
During questioning, the accused denied torturing the housemaid and stated that she had repeatedly requested the girl to go to her house, but the girl refused and even cried whenever the issue was discussed. The accused further claimed that the girl’s injuries were self-inflicted, attributing some of them to the girl hitting herself against a wall.
The SJIT discovered inconsistencies in the accused’s claims and found that she was withholding information. As a result, the accused was sent to jail on judicial remand when she was produced for her physical remand. It is worth noting that, usually, a woman accused can only be given into police custody on physical remand in cases related to terrorism and murder when investigators need to recover evidence.
The sources indicate that the interrogation is nearing completion, and the SJIT is in the process of collecting evidence and analyzing it. Meanwhile, the housemaid has been transferred from the Intensive Care Unit (ICU) to a general ward as her condition has improved. Investigators are hopeful that she will be able to travel and can be brought to Islamabad next week to appear in court and record her statement, pending doctors’ permission.
Overall, the investigation team is diligently working to uncover the truth behind the maid torture case and ensure justice is served.