CHAKWAL, May 24: A fake spiritual healer subjected an old woman to torture for driving demons out of her body, it has been learnt.

The fingers of the poor woman were burnt and she was also beaten black and blue with clubs. She was later rushed to the District Headquarters (DHQ) hospital by Talagang police where she was still under observation.

Sabira Bibi, a resident of Talagang city, has been experiencing ‘mysterious’ shocks of horror for a few weeks. The other women of the family suspected she was bewitched. The neighbours also expressed similar opinion saying she was under the influence of evil spirits.

They were told by a neighbour named Q.S. about a spiritual healer in the city who could drive the evil spirits out. The man named Zaffar Iqbal alias Sufi Hussain Chishti was called in. He ordered all the family members to go out of the room as he had to perform his magic alone to get rid of the evil spirits. They did as directed and he started his ‘work’.

“He lighted candles and put my fingers on the burning flames. Then he started beating me with a club,” Sabira told Dawn at the hospital, the other night. When she made hue and cry her son Sajid rushed to the room but the magician sent him back saying, “You don’t need to worry about her as it is not your mother who is crying rather the demons being extremely angry are shouting loudly”.

But when the healer left the house, the family members were shocked to see the blue marks and bruises all over her body.

They tricked the fake healer by calling him again and telling that demons had returned so he must come as they would pay him heavily.

As he reached the house, the inmates overpowered him and later gave him into police custody.

“We have arrested the con man and a case has been registered against him”, Station House Officer (SHO) of City police station Talagang, Zarat Baloch told Dawn. He further said investigations were under way.

During preliminary interrogation, Sufi Hussain Chishti kept insisting before police that it was necessary to torture Sabira as without it the evil spirits would not go away. According to Sabira’s husband, she was a heart patient and also suffered from asthma.—Nabeel Anwar Dhakku