Peshawar, February 9: In a horrific incident in Pakistan's Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, a woman was admitted to hospital in Peshawar with a nail hammered into her head, on the directions of a fake 'peer' (faith healer), in order to give birth to a baby boy.

According to Dawn newspaper, Peshawar police on Tuesday took notice after pictures of the woman went viral on social media. Pregnant Women in India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Exposed to Poor Air Quality at Higher Risk of Stillbirths and Miscarriage, Says Study.

"Woman's image goes viral on social media On the notice of CCPO Abbas Ahsan, SP City Kafouri initiative, the victim reached Lady Reading Hospital for questioning of hospital entry data, met the hospital management. The process of identifying the victim from the CCTV footage including computer entry is underway," Capital City Police Peshawar tweeted.

Hospital staff said that the victim was a mother to three daughters and her husband had threatened to leave her if she gave birth to a fourth girl, according to Dawn.

"She is three months pregnant and because of her husband's fear she went to the faith healer who gave her taweez (amulet), things to recite and the nail. The victim then returned home and hammered the nail in her head. She was discovered by family members after she screamed in pain and was shifted to the hospital," Dawn quoting a staff reported.

Staff also quoted the victim as saying that she would get an ultrasound done after some time to learn the gender of her child, the media outlet reported further. Earlier, the report also touched upon increasing incidents of violence against women and girls in Pakistan.

(The above story is verified and authored by ANI staff, ANI is South Asia's leading multimedia news agency with over 100 bureaus in India, South Asia and across the globe. ANI brings the latest news on Politics and Current Affairs in India & around the World, Sports, Health, Fitness, Entertainment, & News. The views appearing in the above post do not reflect the opinions of LatestLY)