Karachi police on Friday arrested a woman for allegedly killing her 11-year-old domestic helper and torturing the victim’s elder brothers as well.

The death sparked protests in the boy’s native village in Tharparkar district, and recrimination from politicians.

East Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP) Zubair Naseer Shaikh confirmed to Dawn.com that the woman was arrested.

The first information report (FIR), a copy of which is available with Dawn.com, was filed today against the woman, Shirin Asad, by the children’s father after his son died on Feb 8 in Gulshan-i-Iqbal area’s Block 13-D.

It was registered under Sections 302 (punishment of qatl-i-amd – murder), 324 (attempt to commit qatl-i-amd), 334 (punishment for Itlaf-udw) and 337-A (i) (punishment of shajjah) of the Pakistan Penal Code and read with sections 3 and 4 of the Prevention of Trafficking in Persons Act, the SSP said.

The complainant, Qabool Manthar Ali, is a resident of Keetar Goth in Tharparkar District’s Chachro tehsil. His three sons — aged 11, 13, and 16 years old — had been working at the woman’s house for the past six, 13 and 14 months, respectively, according to the FIR.

It added that they were being paid Rs15,000 a month, which was being transferred to a resident of the same village, who would transfer the amount to the father.

However, at around 2pm on Feb 8, the complainant’s cousin informed him that his 11-year-old son had died in Karachi.

The father then contacted his younger brother, Mitha Khan, who said the suspect told him that the boy was injured after falling from a rickshaw about 15 days ago, and then on Feb 8, he slipped and fell in the bathroom, after which he was taken to Zain Hospital in Gulshan-i-Iqbal and then moved to Dow University of Health Sciences, where he died.

The FIR further said that when Mitha and other relatives reached the Gulshan-i-Iqbal police station to collect the body, the police wanted to conduct a post-mortem examination, but they refused – in writing – to Abbasi Shaheed Hospital.

The complainant said once the burial had taken place, he asked his other two sons about what had happened to their younger brother. His 16-year-old son then revealed that the woman used to allegedly beat him and his deceased brother.

According to the FIR, he said that she would beat the deceased with “heated tongs” and “he had not fallen from a rickshaw”. She had hit him in the head with the pliers, which resulted in his death. “My brother had not fallen in the washroom,” the FIR quoted him as saying.

The brother also said the woman also pulled out his nails “with pliers”. The father wrote in the FIR that upon inspecting the body of his 13-year-old son, he saw that it bore “significant marks of torture” as well.

“My plea is that Shirin Asad had tortured and killed my son and tortured another son,” said the complainant.

Family protests

Separately, a protest was held today by the victim’s family and the local village residents in Tharparkar’s Keetar Goth.

Ali said he had talked to the deceased son on phone two days prior to his death but “he was told to be fine”. He added the 13-year-old brother was currently admitted to the hospital due to the torture inflicted on him while the eldest had “lost his senses”.

Ali also claimed the house owner had told him to not take legal action, after which the body was brought to Tharparkar.

Various politicians condemned the incident, including MPA Abdul Razaque Rahimoon, who belongs to the same district and went to visit the victim’s family.

He said Sindh Inspector General Ghulam Nabi Memon and the Gulshan-i-Iqbal station house officer told him they were “investigating the whole matter”.

“Savage torture on innocent children has ashamed humanity. The criminals should be given as strict punishment as possible,” the MPA added.

Separately, Special Assistant to CM Sindh for Human Rights Surendar Valasai also took notice of the incident and expressed his confidence in playing a “responsible role in getting the victim’s family justice”.

He said he had written a letter to district East’s SSP on Feb 9, directing him to take “necessary legal action” on the matter and submit a report “on urgent notice”.

Moreover, PTI leader Arbab Anwar also strongly condemned the incident and demanded that the victim’s family be provided justice.