Police inquiry shows reports of four girls’ death, rape at Lyari hospital to be untrue

A police inquiry established on Tuesday that reports about the alleged rape and death of girls at the Lyari General Hospital were fake.

South Range SSP Shabbir Ahmed Sethar said in a statement said that the police had not been contacted by the hospital administration or parents in this regard, and they had contacted the parents of one of the girls but they daughter had died because she had been ill.

He added that Kalakot SDPO Asif Munawar was appointed inquiry officer, who looked into the matter and found the reports to be untrue. According to reports, four girls died at the hospital, two of whom were from other areas and the parents of all the deceased girls were also being contacted to find out the fact, SSP Sethar said.

Talking to The News, SDPO Munawar said he went to the Lyari General Hospital and found a newly constructed child ward, owned by a private company. He said he had enquired about the reported deaths, obtained information about the parents and their contact numbers, and also met and questioned government surgeons.

He added that he first met the parents of a 14-year-old girl who died last month at the hospital and was a resident of the Saeedabad area. The staff of the private company had cast some suspicions, upon which government surgeons conducted an examination in the presence of the girl’s parents and found no traces of rape.

SDPO Munawar said a 10-year-old girl died at the same ward and management of the company had voiced its suspicions. At this, an examination was conducted and the case was closed on the request of the parents, who hail from Thatta and are residing in Lyari in a rented house. He added that the deaths of two more girls, aged between two and three years, were reported.

They died due to pneumonia and the parents told the police that their children were admitted for pneumonia and died two days after being admitted to the hospital. The inquiry is underway.