Two teenagers raped in three days

ABBOTTABAD:

At least two girls have been raped over the last three days in different parts of the Hazara Division. Girls remain vulnerable as ever to sexual assault despite the efforts of social activists in the region.

Police records show the two girls were raped in different parts of Hazara over three days. The first case was registered at the Havelian police station on April 23 after the victim recorded her statement before judicial magistrate Ishtiaq Ahmed.

Havelian police quoted 14-year-old girl as saying she was a student of a seminary in Havelian for over three years.

Since her native town was in Galiyat, she was living with other students. Over the last couple of months, Azhar and Hamza, brothers of seminary head Sabeeha Bibi, got her shifted to a separate room and allegedly forced themselves on her.

The 14-year-old said the culprits threatened to kill her if she ever told anyone about the offence. According to the victim’s statement before both the court and police, she got pregnant. When the seminary incharge noticed biological changes to the girl’s body, she took the girl to a private clinic where they paid Rs50,000 for an abortion. Sabeeha’s father, mother and some other relatives accompanied her for this dastardly deed.

After a few hours, the girl was shifted to a hotel room and the family was later called to take her back home.

“The suspects and seminary head again threatened me with dire consequences if I ever dared to talk,” she told the court through a written statement.

On her complaint, a criminal case against the two alleged rapists and their abettors was registered. However, the accused obtained bail before arrest and the next date of hearing was fixed for April 30.

The second rape was reported from Chitta Andheera village in Mansehra where another teenage girl was gang raped on April 24.

Police quoted the 19-year-old woman as saying she left the house at night between April 23 and 24 to attend nature’s call when Amanullah, Israr and Rehmat Khan kidnapped her. The suspects took her to an undisclosed location where they raped her one after another. The next morning, they dropped her near a village and escaped, she told the police.

Published in The Express Tribune, April 27^th, 2016.