By M. Waqar Bhatti
Karachi: A teenage girl is struggling for her life at a hospital in Karachi after her ex-fiancé, a policeman, threw acid on her, her brother and a child on Saturday night following her family’s refusal to marry her to him.
Raheela, 19, was returning home from a beauty parlour when police constable Zeeshan alias Ali, who is posted at the Boat Basin police station, threw acid on her, her brother Jan Muhammad and nephew Hadi at Yasir Arcade in Metroville II, Abul Hassan Ispahani Road.
Raheela was taken to the Patel Hospital in Gulshan-e-Iqbal then admitted to the Aga Khan Hospital.
After the media reported the incident, the Gulshan-e-Iqbal police arrested Zeeshan in the Garden area. Raheela’s family said she had suffered burns to 80 percent of her body and had been placed on a ventilator as her windpipe was badly damaged.
“Raheela is in a serious condition and doctors are saying that they are trying to save her life,” said Sohail Memon, her maternal uncle. “Her face is badly burnt and she has lost both her eyes,” he added.
Gulshan-e-Iqbal police officials said they conducted many raids on the night of the attack and after taking Zeeshan’s brothers into custody, arrested the constable in the Garden area.
“We managed to arrest Zeeshan before h could escape from the city,” said SP Gulshan-e-Iqbal Abid Qaimkhani.
He added that a case had been lodged against Zeeshan and his accomplices under the Pakistan Penal Code and the Anti-Terrorism Act at the Mubina Town police station on the complaint of the girl’s father, Abdur Rahim. Besides, raids are being conducted to arrest his other accomplices.
“Zeeshan was posted at the Boat Basin police station and we have asked the South district police to take harsh action against him and start the proceedings for his dismissal from service.”
Police said Zeeshan was accompanied by three people on two motorcycles when he threw acid on Raheela.
Abdur Rahim said his son Jan Muhammad and nephew were also injured in the attack but they were out of danger.
“After Zeeshan’s arrest, his brother Adnan, who is also a policeman, is threatening us,” he added.
He said his family had ended the engagement after finding out about Zeeshan’s dubious character.
“When we ended the engagement, Zeeshan started threatening us and said he would burn Raheela alive and our entire family if we did not marry her to him, but we didn’t take the threats seriously.”
Rahim appealed to the Rangers director general to intervene into the matter and provide protection to his family from Zeeshan’s brother.
