Domestic Worker Accused and Tortured

Rawalpindi Pakistan:

A Christian woman, Aqeela, was working as a part-time line cook at retired Colonel Naveed’s house in Bahria Colony. On Palm Sunday, in March of 2024, Aqeela went to work as usual. After work, she was called by Mrs. Naveed who began scolding and accusing her of stealing. and demanding that the stolen items be returned. Aqeela told her,”Sister, I have been working at your house for the past one and a half years and have never taken even a small amount of money from you. Why would I do this?”  She was forced to hand over her cell phone. Aqeela was then asked to bring her husband along to her workplace.

In Aqeela’s words: “I went home and asked my husband Sarwar to come with me, so on Wednesday, March 24, I, along with my husband went to see Mrs. Naveed at her house. We were told that 0.5 million Pak rupees and 40.5 grams of gold were stolen from her house, and I was accused of taking it.

Meanwhile, a car went to pick up my 13-year-old son, Younton, from our house.  Upon arriving at home after school he was put in a black car and the three of us were then taken to an unknown location.

They grabbed me and took me upstairs. On the upper floor, their two sons, Abbas and Baqir, and four unknown individuals were also present and subjected us to relentless violence. They repeatedly threatened to shoot us, saying, ‘Agree to what we say, or else we’ll shoot you.’ I kept pleading with the oppressors to stop while hearing the cries of my husband and son. They also beat me and my husband together, insisting that we confess to the theft they accused us of, or else they would kill our son. After that, they forced us into two cars, blindfolded us and took us to another unknown location. When we reached this unknown place in the darkness of the night, they took us out of the cars and locked us in a room.

They continued to torture the three of us until 3 o’clock in the morning. There were four or five more individuals present, armed with weapons, who took turns beating and torturing us relentlessly throughout the night. As a result, my body bears numerous visible marks of the brutal assault. They beat us with computer cables to force us to confess to the crime. My jaw and teeth were shaking. They made my ears bleed, and they kept telling us to bring our other son as well. I kept pleading with them while they continued to beat us mercilessly. The oppressors even attempted to kill my son and repeatedly dunked him upside down in cold water. We were finally released on the condition that we also bring our older son to them and were threatened with the loss of a kidney if we did not do so. They took us out of the building and drove us  away, ordering us out of the car on the motorway near Islamabad. In the darkness of night, we didn’t know where we were. Due to the violence, we were able to walk only with great difficulty.  From 3 o’clock until almost 5 o’clock in the morning, we struggled to find our way home. Our two mobile phones, cash, and identity cards were taken, and they had also stolen our motorcycle which was parked at Colonel Naveed’s house.

It was Holy Thursday night when my husband and I, along with my son, were beaten.

It was Good Friday when we were finally able to leave the house.

We approached a local Christian human rights activist and shared our story. We were taken for medical tests. My husband launched a police report against the retired Colonel after much pressure was raised by local activists. CAPC president Nadeem Bhatti also visited the family.

We moved to an unknown place but were in fear that they could find us again. We now live under threats and can’t afford the heavy cost of a lawyer to bring justice.”

Aqeela has continued to deny this theft accusation. She disclosed that her employer’s two young sons had been taking illegal drugs and she had often noticed them coming home in a hungover state.

This family is begging for help as they can not afford legal counsel. They have left their home to attempt to remain out of the hands of their accusers.

The First Police Report was launched against the retired Colonel Naveed.