Pakistan
“Miracle healer” hammers a nail into a pregnant woman’s skull so she can have a boy
The X-ray, which clearly shows the nail in the skull, went viral. Now the police are looking for the “miracle healer”
© Tweet Peshawar Police
A woman in Pakistan turned to a “miracle healer” after her husband threatened to leave her if she gave birth to another girl. His recipe for success: He hammered a five centimeter nail into the pregnant woman’s skull.
A pregnant woman was reportedly taken to a hospital in Peshawar, Pakistan, earlier this week, bleeding with a two-inch nail in her skull. According to media reports, a “miracle healer” hammered the sharp metal into her head and assured her that this would give birth to a boy. Now the investigators are looking for the criminal impostor.
Husband threatened to leave her if she gave birth to a girl
The shocking X-rays went viral on social media. The recordings clearly show a long nail that protrudes deep into the skullcap. According to the British BBC, the pregnant woman initially claimed to have driven the nail herself into the skull, but later admitted that the “miracle healer” was responsible. dr Lady Reading Hospital staff member Haider Khan said the woman was fully conscious but was in great pain when she arrived at the hospital bleeding.
According to the Pakistani newspaper “Dawn”, hospital staff said that the woman is already the mother of three daughters. Her husband threatened to leave her if she gave birth to another girl. In some poorer South Asian countries, according to the BBC, many expectant parents wish to have a boy who will provide them with long-term financial security. In order not to leave gender to chance, many resort to extreme practices, often enlisting the help of so-called “faith healers.”
So did the woman who was three months pregnant. The miracle healer she confided in was recommended to her by neighbors. An acquaintance underwent the same procedure and ultimately gave birth to a boy, although ultrasound images originally indicated a girl.
After a successful operation: the police are looking for the pregnant woman
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Family members discovered her after she cried out in pain and later passed out, hospital staff said, according to Dawn. Her relatives tried to pull the nail out with pliers while she was still at home. According to the newspaper, the doctors were able to successfully remove the metal. According to “Arab News”, a spokesman for the hospital said there were no records of the woman’s treatment. After the operation she left immediately. The police are now investigating why the staff did not call the police immediately after the injured person was taken to the hospital.
In a tweet published Tuesday, Peshawar Police Chief Abbas Ahsan said a special team was on the hunt for the charlatan. “We’ll get our hands on the witcher soon,” said Ahsan. The police questioned the hospital staff for several days – but so far there has been no trace of the woman herself. So far, investigators have only been able to “identify the rickshaw in which the woman and a man arrived at Lady Reading Hospital for treatment,” a police spokesman told Arab News.
sources: “BBC“; “dawn“; “Arab News“