Indian woman released from illegal custody

Lahore, July 28 : A Indian Hindu-Brahmin woman, who had converted to Islam 28 years ago after marrying a Pakistani national, has come out of illegal detention which lasted nearly one-and-a-half months. She alleged that during her detention she was tortured and robbed of property worth more than Rs 90 lakhs.

She alleged that she was illegally detained by her 'friend' since June 14 with the connivance of National Accountability Bureau (NAB) and Punjab Police officials. She was released from detention by North Cantt Police on a court's orders. The recovered woman, identified as Shabnum, had lower leg fractures. "The detainee appears to be a crippled lady as she has been brought in the court on a chair. She has named a few persons who had illegally confined her and had robbed her of her immovable and moveable property," the Daily Times quoted a report prepared by a bailiff as saying.

She said that after a few months of her wedding with a Pakistani national, she came to Pakistan and found that Ali Ahmad was already married and had five children. She said that his first wife and children did not accept her, after which she returned to Bahrain and got divorce from Ali Ahmad.

Shabnum said that she had met a Pakistani family in Bahrain, one of whose members named Mirza Shaukat Baig convinced her to invest her money in Pakistan by setting up madrassas. She said that she visited Pakistan in 2006, and bought two houses in Khawar Town, Ghazi Road, Defence, through Shaukat for more than Rs 59 lakhs. She said that she rented out one of the houses and set up a madrassa in the other.

She further said that she returned to Bahrain only to find that Shaukat and his accomplices had taken over both the houses, on which she got two cases registered against them in the South Cantt Police Station.

On June 14 while she was heading towards the airport to buy a ticket for Bahrain, some armed man, including two uniformed policemen, 'arrested' her and took her to her house in Khawar Town. She alleged that that the men tortured her and took her thumb impressions on blank papers. She alleged that the officials also snatched Rs 22,000 and jewellery worth more than Rs 500,000 from her, and made her sign two cheques of Rs 900,000 and Rs 16 lakh for her release.

ANI