The murder case of 10-year-old Fatima Phuriro at Peer’s Haveli in Ranipur ended inconclusively a year after the incident.
Fatima’s mother submitted an affidavit to the court declaring that the girl’s death was natural and that the arrested individuals were innocent.
She expressed no objection to the court granting bail to them.
The District and Sessions Court of Khairpur has adjourned the hearing indefinitely.
Background
A domestic maid, 10-year-old child Fatima Phuriro, was found dead under suspicious circumstances in Ranipur.
The child worked as a domestic worker at a haveli owned by an influential local, Pir Asad Shah Jilani.
A video showing young Fatima’s distress at Peer’s mansion went viral. After her death, the initial post-mortem report indicated evidence of torture and abuse.
Following the registration of the case, the accused—Pir Asadullah Shah, Pir Fayyaz Shah, Hina Shah, and Imtiaz—were arrested.
Fatima’s mother, Shabana, was informed about the death by the employer, who asked her to remove the body from the premises.
According to DIG Sukkur Javed Jiskani, the parents initially did not share the facts of the case with the police and claimed that the girl was suffering from gastroenteritis.
While her diagnosis was also confirmed by Dr Abdul Fatah Memon who treated her, the DIG revealed that Fatima was taken to the hospital either by the Pir or his staff and that the SHO was present at the time she was pronounced dead.
It was not until videos of the child were leaked by an unknown source and circulated on social media that the case caught the media’s eye. By then, the family had buried Fatima on August 15.
The body was later exhumed and sent for an autopsy which revealed that the girl had been raped both vaginally and anally.
