Heinous crime: Cleric accused of rape remanded in custody

Victim said she was raped several times during two-day captivity.

ABBOTABAD: A seminary teacher accused of kidnapping and raping a woman was remanded into police custody by a magistrate in Abbottabad on Sunday.

The court staff and police told The Express Tribune on November 13, 19-year-old Faiqa Bibi*, resident of Pattan Kalan village, went into woods to relieve herself and disappeared.

Her husband Azeem and other family members searched for her everywhere but in vain. After losing all hopes of finding her, the family contacted the police and lodged an FIR regarding her disappearance.

Seminary teacher and prayer leader from a neighbouring village, Qari Muhammad Arif, also went missing on the same day as the victim.

Faiqa’s family suspected foul play and contacted people from nearby villages to enquire about his whereabouts.  On November 14, they came to know through villagers the accused had kidnapped Faiqa and was hiding in a house in Circle Bakote village. The victim’s family immediately conveyed the information to the police which conducted a raid at the site and rescued Faiqa. Police arrested the accused and registered a criminal case against him under Section 365B of the PPC.

On Sunday, both Faiqa and Qari Arif were produced before the court where their statements were recorded. The victim accused Qari Arif of forcibly kidnapping and sexually assaulting her several times during her two-day captivity. The magistrate remanded the accused in police custody for one day and ordered the police to produce him in the court on Monday (today).

*name has been changed to protect identity

Published in The Express Tribune, November 16^th, 2015.