Pakistani police have arrested a man accused of confining his wife and children inside a house in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province for more than a decade while subjecting them to physical and psychological abuse.
According to BBC Urdu, the victim, a 54-year-old French citizen identified as Sylvie Yasmina, told authorities that her husband regularly subjected family members to violence and intimidation.
Police said the case came to light after one of the couple’s sons managed to escape from the house and alert security officials.
Following the report, officers raided a remote residence in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and discovered Yasmina and her five children living in a small room under poor conditions.
Authorities stated that visible signs of bruising and injuries were found on several members of the family.
After being rescued, Yasmina and her children were transferred to a women’s protection center in Peshawar. Officials say arrangements are being explored to facilitate their return to France.
The woman told investigators that after the family moved from Australia to Pakistan in 2014, she was effectively cut off from the outside world and was not allowed to interact freely with other people.
Police said the family’s two older children had been denied access to education, while the three younger children, all born in Pakistan, had never been enrolled in school.
Authorities have not publicly released the identity of the arrested man.
Investigators are continuing to examine the circumstances surrounding the case, including the duration of the alleged confinement and the conditions under which the family lived.
From Nimruz TV’s perspective, the case has raised serious concerns about domestic abuse, isolation and child welfare. The investigation is expected to focus not only on the criminal allegations but also on how the situation remained undiscovered for such a long period despite the presence of a family with multiple children living in the area.
