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Police to probe claim teenager`s hand got cut off `accidentally`

By Our Staff Reporter 2017-05-16
ISLAMABAD: The Punjab police told the Supreme Court on Monday that witnesses in the case of a 13-yearold boy, whose right hand was chopped off in a fodder cutting machine (toka) on April 25, insisted that it was an accident. They agreed, however, that the statements needed a further probe.

A three-page report on the incident, furnished in compliance with a suo motu notice taken by Chief Justice Mian Saqib Nisar, mentions that the victim`s family were indebted to the main suspect, Shafgat Bibi, after having taken an advance payment from her.

The victim, Irfan, son of Falak Sher, was employed as a servant at her house.

The chief justice had taken notice of reports that Irfan was working at Shafgat Bibi`s house in the Safdarabad area of Sheikhupura district when his employers got infuriated with him over a minor issue and cut his right hand of f using a fodder cutter. CJ Nisar had asked the Punjab police for a comprehensive reply to the allegations.

In theirreportproducedin courton Monday, the police assured the apex court that a special team, headed by the Sheikhupura investigation SP and comprising the Safdarabad Circle subdivisional police of ficer and an investigating officer,was finalisingitsinquiry to submit a challan (charge sheet)inthe relevant court as early as possible.

The report elaborated that an FIR had been registered on May 8 under the Punjab Restriction on Employment of Children Act 2016 at the Safdarabad Police Station on a complaint filed by Jannat Bibi, Irfan`s mother. She had stated she got her son employment as a servant for Shafgat Bibi with help from Zaf ar Iqbal, a brother of Shafgat Bibi.

The FIR stated that on April 25 Shafgat Bibi got infuriated when Irf an asked for breakfast after cutting the fodder for cattle. She took the boy to the fodder cutter and pushed his right hand into the machine, amputating it from the wrist joint.

Pohce have arrested Zafar Iqbal while Shafgat Bibi has joined investigations after obtaining interim bail from a local court. The police said the bloodstained fodder cutter and the victim`s blood sample had been sent to the Punjab Forensic Science L aboratories (PFSL) for DNA profiling and blood comparison. The PFSL has also been requested to conduct a polygraph test of the victim, suspects and witnesses to ascertain the f acts.

Meanwhile the witnesses-Shafaqat Ali and Karamat testified that the alleged occurrence had taken place accidentally. Other witnesses in the case Arshad Mehmood, Muhammad Afzaal, Muhammad Aslam and Farhan Ullah also stated that complainant Jannat Bibi, Irfan and his brotherImran were at the Safdarabad Tehsil Headquarters Hospital when Jannat Bibi told them that her son was busy cutting fodder when his right hand got stuck inside a fodder cutter by accident. The police report, however, agreed that the claims needed further probe.

Moreover the dispenser, Umer Abbas Tahir, who had attended to the victim at the hospital and provided him first aid, said in his statement that the boy`s attendants were asked about a medico-legal certificate twice, but they had claimed that it was an accident.

The complainant and her son, however, while recording their statements before an investigation officer, maintained the stance mentioned in the FIR.

During the course of investigation, the police learnt that Irfan had taken Rs87,000 as an advance payment from Shafgat Bibi. Irfan`s brother Ehsanullah used to work for Zafar Iqbal, who owned a poultry farm, and had taken Rs140,000 advance payment f rom him two years ago.

On April 4, Ehsanullah went abroad without giving his employer a notice.

Zafar Iqbal then demanded the advance payment from Falak Sher, who promised to pay him back in a month. By May 3, however, he had managed to pay back only Rs68,000 and promised to pay the remaining amount in two months, police said.