Criminal children: Cops on the look out for 10-year-old ‘rapist’

Police is searching for Yasir, accused of raping a four-year-old boy.

FAISALABAD: Police officials have registered a case against a 10-year-old boy for trying to rape a four-year-old boy in Samabad.

Eyewitnesses said that several raids were being conducted to arrest ten-year-old Yasir, after Samanabad resident Ejaz Hussain submitted an application with factory area police that the boy had tried to sexually assault his four-year-old nephew Osama. “It is completely unfounded because Osama doesn’t even live in the area,” said Yasir’s neighbour Fahad.

According to locals, on October 27th Ejaz’s 28-year-old son Khurram beat up Yasir after they had a fight in the street over a game of cricket. “They boy was beaten to a pulp. Khurram hit him with a cricket bat until the family took him to the hospital,” said Fahad.

Yasir’s uncle Shakeel Ahmed filed a case with the Secretary area police. “I had a medical certificate and several people were willing to testify in favour of Yasir but the police ignored us. They refused to file the case and said that if we didn’t leave immediately they would arrest us,” Ahmed said.

Ejaz Hussain, who is an influential member of the community and has political links with the provincial government allegedly paid off the police. Hussain registered a counter case against the Yasir for raping his four-year-old nephew. “It is a ludicrous charge. Osama doesn’t even live in the Samanabad area,” said a neighbour Mahnoor, adding that no one had bothered to stand up to Ejaz because he could afford to pay off the police. “The boy was a bully and my nephew told me he had tried to assault him repeatedly,” Hussain said.

Locals said that the police was supporting Hussain and that they had been conducting raids all through November looking for Yasir. “I think his family sent him away but he is definitely on the run,” a neighbour, Kamal told reporters, adding that the boy left the area on Chaand Raat. “The police broke into his house looking for him and misbehaved with women of the house but he was already gone,” he said, adding that the family refused to speak to any reporters or face the police again because they were frightened of the consequences.  “They have received death threats,” Mahnoor said.

Yasir’s family told the press that they wished to lay low as they had no money or political support to counter the charges that had been leveled against them by Hussain and his family. Secretary Area station house officer (SHO) Yasir Jatt said that the police had only been searching for Yasir to question him. When asked how such serious charges could be leveled against someone so young, he said “We have to register all cases on application. The investigation will prove whether or not he is innocent.” Jatt said that no medical reports were needed to register the case because the charge was one of attempted rape.

Advocate Babar Shah said that in cases where the facts were doubtful, the investigation ought to take place before the registration of an FIR.

Published in The Express Tribune, November 28^th, 2010.