KARACHI: Dua Zahra, a teenage girl who went missing from Karachi and later claimed to have married, has been transferred to the city ahead of her court appearance.
Police said Dua Zehra has been handed over to Women Police while her alleged husband Zaheer Ahmed is in the protective custody of the Anti-Violent Crime Cell (AVCC). Both of them would be presented before court today (Monday)
A day earlier, Punjab police have finally recovered teenage girl Dua Zahra from the Chishtian area of Bahawalnagar after tracing her for more than 1.5 months.
The 14-year-old girl had gone missing in April but later declared that she had run away fro home to marry 21-year-old Zaheer Ahmed.
Anti-Violent Crime Cell SSP Zubair Nazir Sheikh said that Dua Zahra and her husband Zaheer Ahmed have been taken into protective custody.
He said couple was recovered from a lawyer’s house by the CIA police. The raid was conducted at midnight and employed the used of modern technology.
He said both frequently changed their locations and never used mobile phones which created difficulties for the police in tracing them.
Karachi police spokesperson said Zaheer had also been recovered. Both will be presented before the Sindh High Court in accordance with its directives.
Sindh police had approached the Interior Ministry for help in recovering the teenager after the Sindh High Court (SHC) instructed it to present her in court by June 10.
Dua has been recovered after over one-and-half months since going missing from Karachi and surfacing in Lahore where she claimed to have married.
Dua Zahra’s family had lodged a report about her abduction on April 16. The Sindh High Court and Lahore High Court have both issued orders to recover the missing girl and present her before the court.
During the last hearing on Friday, June 3, the Sindh High Court (SHC) directed the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) to take measures against any attempt to transfer Dua Zehra aboard.
The court had issued a show-cause notice to acting IG Sindh over the delay in recovering Dua Zehra and producing her before the court
The court also directed NADRA and State Bank of Pakistan (SBP) national identity cards (NICs) and bank accounts of the nominated suspects. The court directed the police to present the girl in the next hearing on June 10.
Dua Zehra’s father Mehdi Kazmi also pleaded with the court that the family has hopes only with SHC and needs support.
