LAHORE: The body of a 24-year-old woman who died after falling into an open manhole near Bhatti Gate was recovered on Thursday from Saggian Pull, a day after the incident that also claimed the life of her 10-month-old daughter.
According to officials, Sadia, a mother of three who had travelled to Lahore from Shorkot with her family, plunged into the sewer in an attempt to save her infant, who slipped into the manhole while the family was getting off a rickshaw near Data Darbar on Wednesday evening. A diving team later recovered the child’s body from Saggian Pull, around five kilometres from the site of the incident.
Rescue 1122 spokesperson Farooq Ahmed said the department received an emergency call at 7:32pm and rescue operations continued without interruption. Police confirmed the woman’s body was found at the disposal station on Outfall Road.Deputy Inspector General (DIG) Operations Faisal Kamran said the water flow was swift at the time of the incident due to peak hours, responding to questions about whether a person could have been carried away.
He added that CCTV footage corroborated the account provided by the victim’s husband.
An FIR was registered at Bhatti Gate police station under Section 322 of the Pakistan Penal Code on the complaint of the woman’s father, who named a construction project manager and safety officials, alleging negligence for leaving the manhole uncovered. Three individuals were nominated in the case.
Following suspicions raised by the complainant, police detained the woman’s husband and two others for questioning but later released them after recording statements.
Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP) Operations Mohammad Tauqir said the husband had informed Rescue 1122 about the incident and was taken into custody based on allegations of strained relations, which were not substantiated during the initial inquiry.
DIG Kamran said a high-level committee had been formed to determine responsibility for the lapse that led to the tragedy.
Meanwhile, Punjab Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz took notice of the incident and ordered administrative action. Deputy Director TIPA Shabbir Hussain was suspended, while the Lahore Development Authority suspended the entire team working on the Data Darbar project. The contractor was issued a show-cause notice, and a notice was also served on the resident engineer of NESPAK over safety failures at the construction site.
Copyright Business Recorder, 2026
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