Incest case: Young woman ‘raped’, tortured by father

The city police have so far been unable to arrest the retired soldier, who works as a private security guard.

ISLAMABAD:

A 20-year-old woman was allegedly raped after being tortured by her own father on September 5. A repeat of this episode took place on Friday.

However, it was on Sunday that the police found out about the incident.

In a complaint with the Kohsar police, the victim, Sajida*, finally mustered up the courage and got a case registered against her father, Sameer*.

The city police have thus far been unable to arrest the retired soldier, who works as a private security guard.

Sameer has six daughters from his wife, Sajida being the third. She was previously married, but moved back in with her parents a few years ago after getting divorced.

Police sources revealed that the first incident, which took place on September 5, occurred when Sajida was alone at home. “Sajida accused Sameer of tying her up with a rope and raping her,” said the source, who requested that his name be withheld. The police official explained that Sajida was home alone with her father because her mother works at nearby houses during the day, while her older sisters are married and the younger ones were at school.

The police official added that after the first incident, the girl fled to Abbottabad, the family’s hometown. However, her father managed to bring her back on September 6, and allegedly tortured her, chained her up and raped her again.

Later, on the complaint of a neighbour, the police raided Sameer’s flat and found Sajida, still in chains. They freed her and took her to the police station.

“Due to the immense pressure and social taboos, the poor girl was unwilling to talk about the incident with any friends, family or neighbours, but she eventually mustered up the courage to inform the police,” said another policeman familiar with the investigation.

Quoting Sajida’s statement, the policeman said that Sameer assaulted her on two separate occasions and threatened to kill her if she dared to tell anyone.

Investigation Officer Ghulam Murtaza confirmed the incident and was confident that the culprit would be in handcuffs soon. He said that the police are still awaiting the complete medical report, while adding that Sameer was on duty in the Diplomatic Enclave when the case was registered. “We came to know he was on duty in the Diplomatic Enclave, but by the time we got there to pick him up, he had fled,” Murtaza claimed.

*Names have been changed to protect identity

Published in The Express Tribune, September 11^th, 2012.