A judicial magistrate in Karachi has granted bail to a couple accused of brutally burning their teenage maid with an electric iron.

The suspects, identified as Shahroz Muhammad Ali and his wife Kanwal, were taken into custody by Ferozabad police on Sunday after being booked under Sections 328-A (child cruelty) and 337-A (i) (shajjah) of the Pakistan Penal Code, along with Section 14-(1) of the Sindh Prohibition of Employment of Children Act, 2017. The law prohibits employing children and carries a punishment of up to six months in prison, a fine of Rs50,000, or both.

The couple appeared before Judicial Magistrate (East) Hameedullah on Monday. Their lawyer argued that the charges were bailable, despite the investigating officer's request for physical remand.

In the end, the court granted their bail in exchange for a personal bond and a surety bond of Rs 30,000 each. The two were released after fulfilling the conditions.

The 13-year-old girl from the Ferozabad police station's jurisdiction was taken to Jinnah Postgraduate Medical Centre (JPMC) on Sunday night, according to police surgeon Dr. Summaiya Syed. She had multiple burn marks in different stages of healing across her body. Although stable, she was referred for further treatment.

The victim's mother Aasiya filed the FIR after claiming that she had sent her daughter to work as domestic help at the couple's apartment in PECHS Block 2 three months earlier.

On August 31, Kanwal called Aasiya, claiming the girl was unwell and should be taken back. However, when Aasiya reached the residence, her daughter revealed she had been deliberately burnt with an electric iron.

The girl alleged that two days prior, on August 29, while ironing Kanwal’s clothes, her dupatta accidentally caught fire. 

In anger, Kanwal pressed the hot iron on her body despite her pleas for forgiveness. She further claimed that Shahroz also physically assaulted her.