Bahawalnagar police have recovered a seven-year-old Vinni victim, arrested three accused and registered a case against 19 persons, including the heads of the Panchayat, police said.
Bahawalnagar DPO Zafar Abbas Bukhari said, "we have taken immediate action against the accused and recovered the Vinni victim girl Kalsoom Bibi, got registered a case and directed SP Investigation Malik Abdul Aziz Khan to investigate the case."
A police contingent, under the supervision of SP Investigation Bahawalnagar and SHO Dherianwala police station, recovered the minor Vinni victim Kalsoom Bibi along with Qasim Ali and his family members.
When contacted, the SP Investigation Bahawalnagar Malik Abdul Aziz Khan said all the accused would soon be arrested and would be tried under the new law. He further said the other Vinni victim would also be recovered soon.
A landlord, Mumtaz Hussain of Chak 204/M Basti Allah Din, on the plea that Qasim Ali, the son of a widow Firoza Bibi, had fallen in love with his daughter and both used to have secret meetings, attacked his house with the help of his armed accomplices - Falak Sher, Nazir Ahmad, Gulzar Ahmad, Muhammad Mansha, Fazal Hussain, Riaz, Abbas, Mushtaq, Khadim Hussain, Sharif and others, and took the whole family, including children, to his Dera at gunpoint where he subjected them to severe torture.
Later, a Panchayat was called ,on the request of the elders of Firoza Bibi's family that declared Qasim Shah guilty and announced the verdict that either the accused (Qasim Shah) should be handed over to Mumtaz Hussain, who would kill him to take revenge or he would have to offer two girls as Vinni. In addition, the family would also be expelled from the village.
Mumtaz Ahmad and others took Firoza Bibi and her elder son Nazar Hussain to an unidentified stamp paper seller Chishtian and got their thumb prints on blank papers, besides taking their photographs.
Inspector General of Punjab Police Ahmad Naseem, while taking action against the accused, ordered the recovery of Vinni victims Shahnaz Bibi and Kalsoom Bibi, Qasim Ali and others from the captivity of the accused. The IG Punjab also ordered the Kasur police to provide protection to the victim family.