Man Claims Assault and Coercion in Lahore Sewer Investigation

Published On 30 Jan, 2026
man-claims-assault-and-coercion-in-lahore-sewer-investigation

“He was kept under pressure and repeatedly told to admit that he had killed them,” the reporter said, claiming the man was not produced before the media because of the treatment he received in custody. The reporter said police officials prevented the husband from speaking publicly and accused him of lying from the outset.

According to the reporter, police officers repeatedly told media representatives that no such incident had taken place and described the case as a personal dispute. “Police kept saying this incident did not happen and that it was just a fight between the husband and wife,” he said, adding that officers claimed the man’s body language suggested he had killed the woman and child elsewhere and disposed of their bodies.

The reporter said police maintained this position even after the husband was the one who contacted Rescue 1122 at around 7:30pm, reporting that his wife and daughter had fallen into an open sewerage line near Bhatti Chowk.

Referring to the search operation, the reporter said senior police officers were present at the scene, while the DIG Operations arrived later at night to brief the media. “The DIG came close to 1am only to announce that a body had been found,” he said, adding that the recovery was carried out by rescue teams and not police.

He further claimed that rescue operations slowed after police declared the incident “fake.” “When rescue was asked to step aside, the bodies were carried further away by the water”.

The bodies were recovered nearly 17 hours after the incident. The woman’s body was found at a disposal station on Outfall Road, while the body of the 10-month-old child was recovered from an area near Saggian.

Earlier, Punjab Assembly Deputy Speaker Zaheer Iqbal described reports of the incident as “fake news,” a statement that drew backlash after both bodies were recovered.

Punjab Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz later ordered the formation of a fact-finding committee and suspended two officials of the Traffic Engineering and Planning Agency over uncovered manholes.