In-laws make excuses after allegedly setting Lahore woman on fire; husband arrested

By
Mian Muhammad Abid
|

LAHORE: A newly-married woman succumbed to death Thursday night after her in-laws allegedly doused her in petrol and set her on fire. She rejected the perpetrators' claims moments before she passed away in the hospital.

Before succumbing to her severe burn injuries, Nasreen Bibi, a resident of a neighbourhood near Lahore's Millat Park, refuted her in-laws' claims, saying: "Someone behind me threw petrol on me and set me on fire."

The late Nasreen Bibi had gotten married just three months prior to Shehzad, who was arrested by police following a first information report (FIR) registered on behalf of the deceased's father.

An investigation has been launched into the alleged homicide, police added.

According to the bereaved family, the woman's in-laws had called in the morning, saying their daughter — Nasreen Bibi — was critically burned by hot water. Sometime later, the in-laws changed their claim, informing that she was injured by a cylinder explosion.

However, when Nasreen Bibi's family reached the house, they discovered that her entire body was severely burnt but that there was no evidence of a cylinder explosion or hot water that the in-laws claimed had burned her.

Further, after her family brought her to the hospital, the wounded Nasreen said: "Someone behind me threw petrol on me and set me on fire."

They mentioned that before dying, she also said she "continued writhing in pain but no one attempted to save" her. Her husband, younger brother-in-law, and mother-in-law were present at the house.

Nasreen Bibi eventually passed away in the evening.

Police stated that they have sent the body for post-mortem and that the husband, younger brother-in-law, and mother-in-law have been named in the FIR.