BATTAGRAM: A newly-wed 12-year-old girl was found dead mysteriously inside her house in Allai tehsil here on Sunday evening.

SHO Banna police station Naveed Khan said that Mr Toru, father of the girl, stated in his report that his daughter was married to a 15-year-old boy, son of Shah Aurangzeb, a resident of Moro area, on a jirga’s decision a month ago.

The SHO said the girl’s husband, who had been arrested, told the police that his wife complained of chest pain on Sunday morning.

The boy said he went to a doctor to take medicines for her, but was informed by his mother that his wife had died. SHO Naveed said father of the boy was not present at home at time of the girl’s death as he had gone to mountains for collecting herbs.

Police arrest her 15-year-old husband

He said the police shifted the body to the District Headquarters Hospital, Battagram, adding the autopsy report did not find any mark of injury on the body, nor any other cause of her death.

He said samples of different organs of the girl’s body had been taken and would be sent to the forensic lab in Peshawar for analysis to determine the cause of her death.

SHO Naveed said they had formed a special team to investigate the case on modern lines.

Meanwhile, talking to Dawn on phone, the girl’s father alleged that his daughter had not died a natural death but was killed by her in-laws.

He disclosed that his elder daughter was engaged to the boy, but she had died before being married.

He said the boy’s father pressured them to give her second daughter to his son, but they refused as their daughter had not yet attained the age of puberty.

The girl’s father alleged that on the 16th of Ramazan the boy’s father had taken his daughter away by force, but the police got her recovered near Kargmarkaz area.

After the incident, he said the villagers held a jirga and convinced them to marry their daughter off to the boy.

He said his daughter’s marriage took place immediately after Eidul Azha. He said after her marriage she was not allowed to visit her parents.

He said on the day of his daughter’s death, he submitted an application with the police that his daughter was not allowed to meet her parents.

He said he along with the police was on way to his daughter’s house when they were informed about her death.

District police officer Tariq Mehmood Khan told Dawn that they were investigating the case, and if the jirga members were found guilty of forcing the parents of the girl to marry her off then they would be taken to the task as per the law.

He said the police would file an FIR and further proceed with the case after findings of the forensic analysis were received.

Published in Dawn, August 25th, 2021