Murder Charges Added in Domestic Worker Rape and Abortion Death Case; Police Granted Access to Key Suspect

Lahore: Police have added murder charges to the case of 18-year-old domestic worker Ayesha, who allegedly died from medical complications following an abortion after reportedly being subjected to gang rape. Authorities have also obtained court permission to summon a key suspect, identified as Hassan, for further investigation.

According to police sources, Lahore Police approached the court seeking permission to question Hassan, a driver currently in jail. The request was approved after murder charges were incorporated into the case. The investigation has now been transferred from the Gender Cell to the Lahore Investigation Wing.

Police said that one suspect named in the case had already been arrested and sent to jail on judicial remand. Authorities have also approached the court to re-examine other suspects who were previously cleared during the initial investigation based on the victim’s statement recorded before a magistrate. Those individuals are now expected to be included in the murder investigation.

The victim’s father has alleged that his daughter’s statement under Section 164 of the Criminal Procedure Code was made under pressure. Police have confirmed that the statement is being reviewed from a legal perspective.

According to investigators, Ayesha died on May 26 after suffering complications allegedly linked to an abortion procedure. The case gained widespread attention after a video, reportedly recorded by the victim before her death, circulated on social media.

Police claim that preliminary findings suggest the teenager was taken to a private clinic in Raiwind for the termination of her pregnancy. After her condition deteriorated, she was transferred to Services Hospital in Lahore, where she later died during treatment.

The case originally began on April 28 when Model Town Police registered an FIR based on Ayesha’s complaint. The FIR included allegations of gang rape, intimidation, and forced abortion under various sections of the Pakistan Penal Code.

In her complaint, Ayesha stated that she had been working as a domestic employee at a residence in Lahore for about a year. She alleged that the homeowner’s son and the family driver repeatedly sexually assaulted her over several months, resulting in pregnancy.

The FIR further stated that when she discovered she was pregnant, she informed the lady of the house and was allegedly given medication to terminate the pregnancy. According to her account, she was later sent to her family home in Faisalabad after her health worsened.

The victim claimed that subsequent medical examinations revealed her pregnancy and that she was later brought back to Lahore, where she was allegedly pressured into undergoing a procedure after it was discovered that the five-month-old fetus had died.

Police noted that while the victim initially accused both the homeowner’s son and the driver in written statements and a recorded video, her later court statement named only the driver as a rape suspect. Based on that statement, a court granted bail to the homeowner’s son.

The victim’s father, however, maintains that the change in testimony was made under coercion. He has appealed to the authorities to ensure justice, stating that his family lacks the resources to confront influential individuals.

Police said the post-mortem examination has been completed and that the exact cause of death will be determined once the final forensic report is received.

The accused have denied wrongdoing, maintaining that they are innocent. Their legal representatives have stated that they will cooperate with investigators and participate in the inquiry whenever required.

The case remains under investigation, and all allegations are yet to be proven in a court of law.