CHISHTIAN: A woman suffered serious burn injuries after her husband and an unidentified accomplice allegedly set her on fire for refusing to give him money for drugs, police said Thursday.
The incident took place in a suburban area of Chishtian, where Muhammad Idrees allegedly attacked his wife, Rukhsana Bibi, during a dispute on Wednesday night.
According to the FIR registered by Rukhsana’s father Muhammad Akram, the couple had been married for 19 years and have four children. He stated that Idrees, a drug addict, often assaulted Rukhsana and demanded money to support his addiction.
On the night of the incident, Idrees returned home with a masked accomplice and asked Rukhsana for money. When she refused, the two men poured petrol on her and set her ablaze.
Neighbours Maqsood Ahmad and Ali Muhammad rushed to the scene upon hearing her screams, forcing the suspects to flee.
Rescue 1122 shifted the victim to Chishtian Tehsil Headquarters Hospital, but due to the absence of a burns unit, she was referred to Nishtar Hospital Multan for treatment.
Police registered a case under Section 324 of the Pakistan Penal Code and arrested the prime suspect, Muhammad Idrees. A search is underway for the accomplice.
In a separate case from July last year, a woman and her daughters were accused of burning their daughter-in-law to death during a domestic dispute in Dijkot. The victim, Salma, had been married to Khurram Shehzad, who was abroad at the time of the incident.
