Beware of strangers: Four arrested for sexual assault

‘Homeless’ woman attacked by man offering help.

LAHORE:

The police have arrested four of five men accused of raping a 25-year-old Christian widow in the Gujjarpura police area, The Express Tribune has learnt.

*Rani Aslam said that the incident happened three days ago, amidst a period of great trauma in her personal life when she had been cast out by both her in-laws and her blood relatives.

Rani said she left her in-laws’ house in Joyanwala, Pasrur, some two weeks ago after they pushed her to marry her late husband’s mentally-challenged older brother. She borrowed Rs300 from a neighbour and travelled to her brother’s house in Sargodha, but he turned her away. She tried to return to her in-laws, but they did not want her back. She said not knowing where to go, she ended up in Lahore and spent one night at the City Railway Station.

The day after, she said, she felt a sharp pain in her abdomen. Seeing her in pain, a rickshaw driver offered to help. She said he took her to Kot Khawaja Saeed Hospital, and after she was discharged, to his house in China Scheme, Gujjarpura.

Rani said that the rickshaw driver then brought four other men to the house who he introduced as his friends. She said they all then raped her. The men eventually let her go. She said she got directions from locals to the police station and told the duty officer of her ordeal. She said she was taken to the hospital for a medical report and then a first information report was registered.

Superintendent of Police (Investigation) Capt (r) Liaqat Ali Malik told The Express Tribune that four accused including the rickshaw driver had been arrested and they were confident the fifth suspect would be arrested soon.

He said the accused had confessed. He said the others had quoted the rickshaw driver as telling them there was a woman at his house and inviting them over for a “party”. He said that the medical report confirmed that Rani had been raped and her clothes had been sent for chemical examination.

He said the police had also confirmed that Rani was a widow whose husband Aslam had died 18 months ago. He said they were married 11 years ago and had two children.

Rani said her two children were living with their paternal grandmother.



*Name has been changed to protect the victim’s identity

Published in The Express Tribune, April 20^th, 2011.