By Obaid Abbasi
RAWALPINDI: A woman who was set on fire by her sister-in-law and another relative in the Chontra area on Friday was pronounced dead overnight.
Sajida Bibi, 20, a married resident of Chontra Village, was allegedly doused with petrol and set on fire by her sister-in-law Farzana Bibi and another relative, Muhammad Asad. The police said Farzana is a sanitation worker at Fauji Foundation Hospital (FFH).
The Civil lines DSP said Farzana and Asad allegedly kidnapped Sajida from her house at 10:30am on Friday. He said they took Sajida to a deserted area near her house, where they set her ablaze. The two fled the scene after the incident, the police official added.
Soon after, villagers gathered at the spot and called Rescue 1122 officials, who took Sajida to Holy Family Hospital burn centre. Doctors said that Sajida was brought to the hospital with burns on 90 per cent of her body, and was pronounced dead later that night.
A police official said that Sajida gave a statement before dying in which she accused Farzana and Asad of setting her on fire.
The police arrested Farzana, and Asad, a wagon driver, who hails from Kotli Sattian, in a raid in the Adiala Road area on Saturday.
The police official said that both the accused later confessed to the crime.
He said that during the investigation, Farzana claimed that Sajida visited FFH a few days ago and met her supervisor. She said that Sajida told her boss that Farzana was allegedly involved in prostitution.
Farzana said that the allegation infuriated her and she wanted to kill Sajida for slandering her.
I succeeded in my plan to kill her on Friday,” a police official said, while quoting Farzana.
City Police Officer Israr Ahmed Abbasi told The Express Tribune that both the accused had been produced before a court, which had granted three-day physical remand.
The police officer said that a murder case had been registered against the duo. He said “some sort of family dispute led to the killing” of the woman.
