A self-proclaimed ‘Pir’ (faith healer) hammered a nail into a pregnant woman’s head in Peshawar, leaving her seriously injured, said police reports on Tuesday.

The woman had gone to the Pir willingly to seek his blessings, as she wanted to give birth to a boy as per her husband’s desire. After the incident, she was rushed to the Lady’s Reading Hospital in Peshawar where neurosurgeon Dr. Haider Suleman confirmed she had a severe head injury and was three months pregnant.

Speaking to the media, Dr. Suleman said the woman was brought to the hospital a few days ago with blood oozing out of her head. Her x-rays showed the nail was completely hammered into her head above the forehead.

The woman initially insisted the nail was “accidentally” lodged into her head. However, when the doctors pressured her to tell the truth, she revealed that it was done by a Pir. She later told the police that she was afraid of being abandoned by her husband if she gives birth to a girl. She went along with faith healer’s plan as he had done the same to another woman in her neighborhood who later gave birth to a boy.

Dr. Suleman surgically removed the nail from the woman’s head and said that her skull remained largely intact.

The Peshawar Police found out about the incident through social media and immediately formed a team to investigate the matter. CCPO Abbas Ahsan told the media that the police were trying to determine the whereabouts of the Pir and the woman’s family. He said that the surgeon should have informed the authorities as it was a “police case.”