Shanti’s parents arranged her marriage to Ashok on June 15 in Lyari. Like every other girl, she had countless dreams and hopes for her married life. But little did she know that peace (Shanti) was not her fate, and that her life would come to a tragic end.
The 19-year-old woman died on 23-July-2025, after she had fallen into a coma due to the alleged sexual violence inflicted upon her by her labourer husband Ashok, 23. Married for only two days, Shanti had been admitted in the ICU of the Civil Hospital’s Trauma Centre.
According to her brother, Saiyon, she had dreams and hopes like any bride; she wore a red bridal dress, got ready at the salon, and left her home with joy; but within two days, her life turned into a nightmare.
In the FIR filed at the Baghdadi police station, Saiyon said they brought Shanti back to her family home on June 30 due to her deteriorating condition, and it was then that the family discovered the truth about the violence she had suffered.
Shanti had told her family that Ashok subjected her to brutal and unnatural sexual acts, causing severe internal injuries and bleeding, and other complications, including bloody diarrhoea. He also allegedly threatened to kill her if she spoke to anyone about the abuse.
As her condition worsened, Ashok and his family took her to a private hospital, but when there was no improvement, they took her back home. On July 4, Saiyon rushed her to the Trauma Centre, where she was admitted in the ICU.
Chief Police Surgeon Karachi Dr Summaiya Syed told The News that Shanti was admitted in the Trauma Centre in a critical state, and that her initial examination findings were positive for sexual violence.
Dr Summaiya said Shanti also had a history of abdominal surgery after sustaining trauma to her intestines, and she passed away at 10:46 am on Wednesday. Police continue to investigate the case, which has sent shock waves through the community, and sparked renewed calls for stronger protections for women and harsher penalties for domestic violence.
Baghdadi SHO Majid Alvi told The News that as soon as the complaint was received, police registered a case and arrested Ashok, and that the investigation has been handed over to the Garden police station’s Investigation Officer Faraz Hussain Dharijo, as such sensitive cases require specialised handling.
Inspector Dharijo, incharge of the Special Sexual Offences Investigation Unit, told The News that police had obtained Ashok’s remand, and would extend it when necessary. He said they even recorded Ashok’s confession before a magistrate, adding that he is currently in jail.
The officer said the incident occurred on June 17, while the FIR was filed on July 5, due to which several crucial forensic samples were lost, but Shanti’s autopsy has been conducted, and police are also collecting information from all the hospitals where she was previously admitted.
He said the doctors who conducted the initial autopsy have already confirmed that she was subjected to brutal sexual violence, so police are now awaiting the final autopsy report, which would include the doctors’ expert opinion, and would be vital in helping the prosecution secure punishment for Ashok.
Suspect admits to crime
Ashok, who allegedly subjected his teenage wife to brutal torture and sexual assault, admitted to the crime before the judicial magistrate (South), adds our correspondent. IO Dharijo produced him before the magistrate with a request to record his confessional statement under Section 164 of the Criminal Procedure Code (CrPC).
The magistrate allowed the IO’s plea and recorded the statement of the suspect, who confessed to his crime. The court then sent the suspect to jail on judicial remand, directing the IO to submit an investigation report, as required under Section 173 of the CrPC, within the stipulated time.
The FIR had been lodged at the Baghdadi police station under sections 324 (attempted murder) and 376-B (punishment for rape) of the Pakistan Penal Code.
Published in News Daily on 24 July 2025.