KARACHI: A judicial magistrate on Friday ordered an ossification test to determine the actual age of a girl, who was kidnapped and later got married of her own free will.

Police claimed to have detained Irshad and his brother Jamshed over their alleged involvement in the abduction of Nazneen from the Boat Basin area in April this year.

On Friday, the investigating officer (IO) produced both the suspects before judicial magistrate (South) to seek their physical remand in police custody for interrogation and investigation.

The IO submitted that Nazneen, said to be an underage girl, allegedly went missing in mid-April from Karachi and later emerged in Multan, where she had purportedly solemnized free-will marriage with Irshad.

The IO said that the girl was recovered from a house in the Machhar Colony from where her purported husband and his brother were also taken into custody.

He requested the magistrate to grant 14-day physical remand of the suspects for interrogation.

On the other hand, defence counsel Sardar Liaquat Gabol opposed the plea and submitted that the girl had married his client Irshad of her own free will and both the suspects had already recorded their statements before police and produced the original nikahnama (marriage certificate).

He submitted that police framed both the brothers with malafide intention at the behest of the girl’s family.

He pleaded to remand the suspects in judicial custody.

Turning down the IO’s request for physical remand, the magistrate sent them to prison on judicial remand till May 7.

In the meanwhile, the magistrate ordered the IO to get an ossification test done on the girl in order to determine her actual age.

The magistrate also ordered verification of their marriage certificate and told the IO to submit an investigation report by the next date.

Published in Dawn, May 7th, 2022