Five newborn baby girls' bodies found in garbage

In a horrifying incident, bodies of five newborn baby girls have been found in heaps of garbage in different areas of Sialkot during the last 15 days, a leading newspaper reported on Monday.

According to District Emergency Officer Rescue 1122 Naveed Iqbal, the rescue team received a call about a newborn lying in the garbage near Adda Stop, Duska, on February 15, 2024. When they arrived at the scene, the baby girl had already died.

Similarly, Iqbal claimed that the bodies of four other newborn girls were discovered in Kharta Sayedan, Pasrur Road, Dalwali, and Bhaer Pulley, adding that most of the bodies had been mutilated by stray animals.

Sialkot District Police Officer (DPO) Faisal Shahzad stated that two of the bodies were found within the Saddar police station’s jurisdiction, while three were discovered in the Cantonment police station’s precincts. He added that an FIR had been registered against unidentified individuals responsible for discarding the newborns.

The DPO mentioned that police investigation teams have begun working on these cases and expressed hope that the culprits would be identified soon using human intelligence and modern tools such as CCTV footage.

Expressing concern over the horrific incident, Sialkot Deputy Commissioner (DC) Mohammad Zulqarnain Langarial said the health chief executive officer had been directed to inspect private hospitals and maternity homes to find clues about the parents of the deceased newborns.

Langarial emphasised that such incidents would not be possible without the cooperation of civil society.

Separately, the corpse of a newborn child was found on a garbage heap in Mozang, Lahore, according to a reputable media outlet.

As per Edhi Foundation officials, the infant's remains were abandoned on a roadside garbage heap.

Upon receiving information, Mozang police took the body into custody and arranged its burial at Miani Sahib graveyard with the help of Edhi volunteers.

A case was registered against an unidentified individual, and police said they were working to determine the circumstances surrounding the death.

Meanwhile, a 65-year-old woman was found dead in her rented house in Harbanspura, with initial reports suggesting she was electrocuted.

The deceased, identified as Shakeela Fazilat, was living alone. Upon receiving information, police arrived and shifted the body to a hospital for a post-mortem examination.

The police registered a case and launched an investigation. Investigators suspect that the woman was deliberately electrocuted, but details will emerge after forensic and medical analysis.