Judicial probe launched into death of 2 girls in Lahore police custody

LAHORE: A judicial inquiry has begun under Section 176 of the Code of Criminal Procedure (CrPC) into the mysterious deaths of two underage girls in Lahore police custody on August 4, 2026. The families of the girls, Amina and Anmol, demanded an impartial investigation after the girls were reportedly held in police custody for over two hours following their arrest on August 4.

Section 176 of the CrPC allows a magistrate to investigate the cause of death when a person dies in police custody or under suspicious circumstances. The magistrate can also order an exhumation for a postmortem examination and record statements and examine witnesses on oath.

According to police sources familiar with the matter, the girls were arrested around 2:54 pm on August 4 after a complainant, Zeshan Latif, reported that they had fraudulently stolen gold jewelry and cash belonging to his wife. An SI of the Township police, Ghulam Ghous, reached the scene at 3:11 pm and took the girls to the police station, where they were handed over to duty clerk Muharrar Tasnim Arif at 3:26 pm. An FIR was registered at 4:50 pm.

The police station recorded a report at 5:20 pm regarding the transfer of custody from the operations wing to the investigation wing. At 6:03 pm, Rescue 1122 received an emergency call about the girls' deteriorating condition in custody. By 6:14 pm, a Rescue 1122 team arrived at the police station, finding one girl almost dead and the other unconscious. Both were rushed to Jinnah Hospital, where the unconscious girl died, and the other girl passed away shortly after.

Video footage shows the girls seemingly stable when they arrived at the police station. However, the police claim that drug overdose was the likely cause of the girls' death, though this has yet to be confirmed by postmortem reports. Investigation SSP Mohammad Naveed dismissed allegations of custodial torture, stating that both girls were chronic drug users and had consumed a strong addictive substance before being taken into custody. He claimed that the girls fainted due to the impact of the drugs, leading to their deaths.

The judicial inquiry is expected to examine the girls' detention, custody transfer, CCTV footage, police statements, witness testimonies, and postmortem reports to determine the circumstances surrounding their deaths.