Post-mortem examinations of two women who died in Lahore’s Township police custody has found blood clots in their hearts and black spots on their lungs, while no signs of physical assault or torture were found on their bodies, the autopsy reports have stated.
Anmol and Amina had been detained earlier this month after a complaint alleging that they had attempted to fraudulently obtain gold earrings and money from a woman.
Police said that both women later fell critically ill at the police station and were taken to Jinnah Hospital, where they were declared dead.
The post-mortem reports said that both women’s hearts contained blood clots. Black spots were also found on their lungs, while their livers, kidneys and stomachs were found to be healthy.
Amina had multiple injection marks on the upper parts of her body, according to the report. No such marks were found on Anmol. The examinations found no other marks of physical violence on either woman.
Blood and organ samples have been sent for histopathology testing, which examines tissue samples in a laboratory, to determine the final cause of death. DNA and other forensic reports are also awaited.
Police had earlier suspected drug use or possible poisoning. Officials claimed that the women were drug addicts and suggested their condition may have deteriorated because they were unable to obtain narcotics while in custody. Investigators were also examining whether they had consumed a poisonous substance before their arrest.
The families rejected the police account and called for an impartial investigation, questioning the circumstances surrounding the deaths.
At a press conference on Tuesday, Lahore Capital City Police Officer Bilal Siddique Kamyana, Deputy Inspector General of Police Operations Faisal Kamran and Deputy Inspector General of Police Investigations Zeeshan Raza defended the police handling of the case.
They pointed out that a judicial inquiry and interim post-mortem examination had found no apparent marks of torture, while DNA and other forensic reports were still awaited. The officers vowed that every aspect of the case would be investigated.
According to the police timeline, an emergency call about an alleged swindling incident was received at 2:55pm. Police reached the location at 3:11pm, while the complainant arrived at about 4pm.
The first information report was registered at 4:50pm while custody was transferred to the investigation wing at about 5:20pm.
The women were handed to an investigation clerk at around 5:30pm. Police have said that their condition deteriorated about 15 minutes later, prompting officials to call Rescue 1122. They were taken to Jinnah Hospital at around 7pm and declared dead.
A judicial inquiry under Section 176 of the Criminal Procedure Code found no apparent evidence of torture.
The magistrate said that the final cause of death would depend on the post-mortem and forensic findings.
Police have confirmed that forensic reports will be considered before the final cause of death is determined.
