LAHORE, Punjab: A judicial magistrate opened an inquiry into the Lahore custody deaths of Amina and Anmol after their families demanded an independent investigation.
The magistrate initiated proceedings under Section 176 of the Code of Criminal Procedure, which covers deaths in police custody and other suspicious circumstances.
Lahore Police detained the two women on August 4 after a resident filed a complaint of theft. Officers took them to the Township Police Station at about 3:26 p.m., according to the supplied account.
Rescue 1122 received a call from the station at 6:03 p.m. and arrived 11 minutes later. Rescue workers found one woman nearly dead and the other unconscious before taking both to Jinnah Hospital, where doctors pronounced them dead.
Video from the police station showed Amina and Anmol conscious before their condition deteriorated. The judicial inquiry will examine the footage, custody records and witness statements. Final postmortem and toxicology findings remained pending.
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The women’s families alleged that police tortured them and rejected the initial police account. They requested an impartial investigation into the circumstances surrounding the deaths.
Investigation Senior Superintendent of Police Mohammad Naveed denied the torture allegations. He said police suspected drug use but acknowledged that the judicial findings would determine what happened.
