10-year-old domestic help in Pakistan tortured to death for eating fruits from the refrigerator

A 10-year-old working as a domestic help in an upscale neighbourhood here in the capital of Pakistan's Punjab province was brutally tortured to death allegedly by his employers for eating fruits from a refrigerator, police said on Tuesday.

Kamran's 6-year-old brother, Rizwan, also employed as a help in the same house, was severely injured, they said.

The two brothers were employed as domestic helpers by Nasrullah, residing in Lahore’s posh Defence Housing Authority over a year ago.

“On Tuesday, Nasrullah, his wife, two sons and his daughter-in-law severely tortured both the children for eating fruits from the refrigerator without permission. They even used a knife to inflict injuries to the children,” police investigator Muhammad Yousuf told PTI.

Yousuf said that when the condition of both the children began to deteriorate, Nasrullah got them hospitalised and fled the scene.

Kamran was pronounced dead on arrival, while Rizwan’s condition was critical, he said.

Police have arrested the five accused, including Nasrullah, and a case of murder was registered against them.

Yousuf said the suspects used to torture both the children over petty issues and found dozens of deep bruises on Kamran’s body as well as the injured Rizwan.

“During interrogation, Nasrullah said that they tied both the children with a rope and tortured them for eating fruits from a fridge,” he added.

Punjab Chief Minister Hamza Shehbaz took notice of the incident and summoned a report from concerned authorities.

He has also directed relevant authorities to provide best medical facilities to Rizwan.

The incident has drawn sharp condemnation from Pakistan’s human rights activists.

“This is outrageous. The killers of an innocent child should be awarded exemplary punishment. The government needs to back up this case so that the culprits could not get scot-free,” human rights activist Sheryar Rizwan said.