A man allegedly gouged out his former wife's eyes and fractured her legs in five places in order to “teach her a lesson for having loose morals”, local media has reported.

Rasheed Ahmad attacked Shama Bibi, his wife of 19 years, on Sunday when she went to visit their five children at his house in Minchinabad in Bahawalnagar.

The couple had divorced in February after Ms Bibi started working as a maid in when they hit a period of financial hardship.

Download the new Independent Premium app Sharing the full story, not just the headlines

Ahmed had allegedly been angered because she had started working “without his permission”, The Express Tribune reports, and he had accused her of having bad character before filing for divorce. Ms Bibi then moved to Lahore with her eldest son, while her four other children stayed with their father.

When she went to visit her children, Ahmed allegedly attacked her, breaking her legs and gouging her eyes out before fleeing the scene.

Her family rushed Ms Bibi to a hospital in Minchinabad while Ahmed was apprehended by police two hours later. He allegedly admitted to attacking and blinding his ex-wife, telling police: “I wanted to send a message through her to all women with loose morals.”

Ms Bibi was transferred to a hospital in Bahawalnagar, but her current condition remains unknown.