Investigation underway : Institute head booked for ‘attempted rape’

Victim’s family say police reluctant to arrest suspect; no evidence, say police.

ISLAMABAD: Police have booked head of a vocational and technical training institute for allegedly attempting to rape a woman student.

A 19-year-old student* lodged a complaint with the police that owner of the institute, tortured and tried to rape her.

The victim, in her complaint, said she was enrolled in a dress designing course at a vocational and technical training institute, located in a plaza in Karachi Company, on March 23rd this year.

She told the police that when she came to the institute on May 20, the suspect who is in-charge of the institute, called her into his office.

She said that the suspect tried to rape her and slapped her when she resisted.

The victim made noise and other students at the institute came to her rescue, the complaint reads.

Karachi Company police registered an FIR the same day, charging the suspect with attempted rape.

Victim’s brother* told The Express Tribune on Sunday that the police brought the suspect to the police station after the complaint was lodged but let him go when traders from the market gathered at the police station.

He said that the people accompanying the suspect, most of who were local traders, offered them money to withdraw the case and threatened them when the family refused.

“Those people threatened us and almost attacked us within the police station, in front of the SHO,” said the victim’s brother.

Officials at the police station said that the traders came to the police station and vouched for the innocence of the suspect.

They said the allegation was false.

Traders also complained to the police high-ups of “misbehaviour” of the police officials when they went to the institute to arrest the suspect.

Police said that the complainant also failed to furnish any supporting evidence.

“Neither any student of the institute bore witness to what she claimed. Keeping all these things in view, the police [decided to] delay the arrest of the suspect,” he said.

A police officer said that the arrest could only be made, if there was adequate evidence against the suspect.

“As per my knowledge, the student and in-charge of the institute argued over an issue of a certificate for the course. More than a rape attempt, the matter was of Section 354 (assault or criminal force to a woman with intent to outrage her modesty) of PPC,” he said.

Shalimar Circle SDPO Muhammad Baqir has been tasked with inquiry into the incident. NAMES WITHHELD TO PROTECT VICTIM’S IDENTITY

Published in The Express Tribune, May 23^rd, 2016.