ISLAMABAD: A judicial magistrate acquitted a domestic worker in a high-profile theft case involving approximately Rs.250 million, observing that the prosecution’s narrative was “highly suspicious” and lacked evidentiary backing.
Judicial Magistrate (Islamabad East) Rizwanuddin accepted the acquittal plea of Rukhsana Bibi under Section 249A of the Code of Criminal Procedure (CrPC), which allows the court to discharge an accused if the charge is considered groundless or there is no probability of conviction.
The case originated in January 2024, when Sajida Zahid, a resident of the PWD housing society, lodged an FIR at the Loi Bher police station. The complainant alleged that her domestic worker had stolen a massive cache of liquid assets, including:
-£500,000 (British Pounds)
-500,000 Saudi Riyals
-Rs400,000 in local currency
The court, in its written verdict, raised serious questions regarding the credibility of the complainant’s story. The magistrate noted the inherent improbability of a homeowner maintaining such vast quantities of foreign currency within a private residence and subsequently handing over the keys to a domestic staff member.
“It is unbelievable that such a large amount of money could be kept in the house and the key handed over to the maid,” the court observed.
Furthermore, the investigation yielded a recovery of only Rs2,000 from the accused—a sum the court described as having no legal status or specific identification linking it to the alleged multi-million rupee theft.
Despite the accused being indicted on September 18, 2025, the prosecution failed to produce a single witness or provide documented proof of the existence of the stolen funds, despite being granted repeated opportunities by the court.
Advocate Habib Hanzala, representing the accused, argued that the case was built on “malice” and served as a textbook example of a false accusation used as a pressure tactic.
The court ruled that continuing the trial would be a “waste of valuable judicial time” that should otherwise be dedicated to genuine cases. Invoking the settled legal principle that the benefit of doubt must always favor the accused, the magistrate ordered the immediate acquittal of Rukhsana Bibi.
The ruling highlights a growing concern within the legal fraternity regarding the registration of massive theft cases against domestic workers without preliminary verification of the complainant’s claims or financial capacity.
