A man whose wife and infant daughter died after falling into an open manhole near Bhati Gate has accused senior police officers of torturing him and attempting to force a false confession, raising serious questions about the handling of the tragic incident.
Sadia and her 10-month-old daughter, Rida Fatima, lost their lives on Wednesday after reportedly falling into an uncovered manhole shortly after getting off a rickshaw near Bhati Gate while visiting Data Darbar. Sadia’s body was recovered near Outfall Road around 1am, while the child’s body was found in Saggian nearly 17 hours later.
The victims’ family, residents of Allahyar Jutta village in Shorkot, said Sadia’s husband, Ghulam Murtaza, immediately contacted Rescue 1122 at around 7:30pm. However, rescue efforts were halted after authorities suspected he was providing false information. Police subsequently detained Murtaza and two male relatives.
Murtaza alleged that Superintendent of Police Bilal and Station House Officer Zain subjected him to torture and repeatedly pressured him to confess to murdering his wife. He said his cousin, Tanveer, was also detained during questioning, and his mobile phone was confiscated.
Murtaza denied any domestic dispute, stating that he personally witnessed his wife and daughter fall into the manhole. Rescue 1122, meanwhile, maintained that search operations continued without interruption.
