HYDERABAD: Medical evidence in the murder case of nine-year-old housemaid, Fatima Furiro, has still remained unavailable pending completion of the DNA process on the 10th day on Saturday.

The evidence (fresh DNA samples of suspects) was supposed to be sent the lab of Liaquat University of Medical and Health Sciences (LUMHS), Jamshoro.

The lab has to recommence the process as part of the inquiry ordered by caretaker Sindh Health Minister Dr Saad Niaz.

Proceedings of this inquiry were also undertaken by a seven-member committee, headed by Prof Dr Waheed Ali Nahiyo of the hospital’s Forensic Medicine department. LUMHS vice chancellor Dr Ikram Din Ujjan, when contacted, told Dawn that samples were not provided to the laboratory so far. The committee is looking into the reasons behind the “mishandling” of the process and identify those responsible.

A health professional on condition of anonymity told Dawn on Saturday evening: “It seems medical evidence is being purposely delayed”. He said DNA samples needed to be collected in LUMHS laboratory for process for which a request had been received from health department as per the inquiry committee’s proceedings.

Khairpur Mirs police were supposed to bring Fatima Furiro murder case suspects in the LUMHS) lab and Forensic & Molecular Biology Laboratory for DNA Testing in line with a request dated October 12 made by the lab in-charge. However, nothing has happened even after a lapse of 10 days and, as a result, the medical evidence relating to the case remained unavailable for further process.

The samples were to be collected as per the advice given in a letter addressed to the Khairpur SSP by the lab in-charge Dr Ali Mohammad Waryah.

Dr Waryah has written that all remaining evidence/materials, clothes of deceased Fatima alias Saya daughter of Nadeem, blood samples of her mother and father and DNA samples of all suspects should be provided to the lab.

When Khairpur SSP Dr Samiullah Soomro was contacted, he told Dawn on Saturday evening that “all samples were sent to the Punjab Forensic Laboratory under advice from Dr Summaiya Syed, the police surgeon, Karachi”. “If the samples are to be collected or sent to laboratory in LUMHS, then it is to be done either by said police surgeon or a special medical board,” insisted the SSP.

Dr Summaiya Syed had already declined to comment on the matter when she was contacted earlier by Dawn.

SSP Dr Soomro was of the view that the samples were collected by a special medical board during the exhumation of the body and then submitted to the laboratory on their own. “Police have nothing to do with the samples,” he said, adding that the police were supposed to arrest the prime accused in the case which they had done, he argued.

According to the SSP, the case was being investigated by a DSP of the counterterrorism department (CTD), Sukkur. “I will check what is to be done. But primarily it is to be done by the medical board which had initiated the process,” he insisted.

The conversation with the SSP indicates that he is not aware of the inquiry committee’s proceedings regarding the alleged lapse.

The LUMHS lab makes correspondence with the police officials dealing with criminal investigation of the (any) case that involves DNA testing.

A special medical board – formed under judicial orders issued by Sindh Director General Health Services Dr Irshad Memon — had exhumed the body under an order passed by a judicial magistrate on Aug 17.

An interim postmortem report had confirmed that the girl was subjected to rape and sodomy. Later, a detailed report prepared on Sept 15 by the medical board had concluded that “no DNA sample was found from nail scrapings of the deceased girl”.

Sindh health department sources had confided to Dawn that the samples were initially sent to LUMHS laboratory after signing of a proforma by medical board members as well as the judicial magistrate.

While the LUMHS DNA lab had started the process, the samples/evidence were abruptly shifted to Karachi University’s International Centre for Chemical and Biological Sciences (ICCBS) which is also run by the provincial health department.

Fatima Furiro had died under mysterious circumstances at the haveli, of a revered family in in August. Her mother, Ms Shabnam, had lodged a case against certain members of the family.

Published in Dawn, October 22th, 2023