Manhunt for 'healer' who hammered nail into pregnant woman's head

Police in Pakistan are hunting a faith healer who allegedly hammered a nail into a pregnant woman's head.

After attempting to extract the 5cm nail with pliers, the woman went to a hospital in Peshawar, local media reports.

She initially told doctors that she had carried out the gruesome act herself, but later admitted a faith healer who had claimed he could ensure she would have a baby boy was allegedly responsible.

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Neurologist Haider Suleman, who treated the victim at Lady Reading Hospital, said although the nail had penetrated the woman's skull, it had not reached her brain.

"She said that a woman in her locality did the same (hammered a nail) and gave birth to a boy even though the ultrasound had shown her unborn child to be a girl," Dr Suleman told Pakistani news outlet Dawn.

Authorities began investigating after X-ray images of the injury appeared online.

Local police announced a special team had been formed to catch the faith healer responsible.

Officers will also investigate why the staff failed to report the incident to police when the woman first attended the hospital.

Hospital staff said that the woman had approached the faith healer after hearing about the practice from a neighbour.

They added that the woman was mother to three daughters, and that her husband had threatened to leave her if she gave birth to another girl.

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Many families in Third World countries, including Pakistan, prefer baby boys, as they are believed to provide parents with better economic security and social standing.