Overnight prisoner: 15-year-old girl trapped in lawyer’s chambers
Police officials found Rimsha locked in a room in the morning; her family protested outside the court for hours.
FAISALABAD:
A young girl was locked up in a lawyer’s chamber for several hours as her family protested outside the court on Wednesday.
According to police officials, a 15-year-old girl was held in the zilla Katchery lawyer’s chambers by unidentified men until she was freed by over a dozen protesters. According to eyewitnesses, Jaranwala resident Rimsha came to Faisalabad in search of work and two men working at the local court offered her a job. “I had applied for several jobs and these men called me because I had applied for an administrative post at the courts,” Rimsha told reporters.
“They told me to come for an interview in the evening. I thought it was suspicious but I still went and later they said they would show me where I would be working. Then they locked me in,” she said.
Rimsha told reporters that the two men had threatened to rape her. “They said they would return and were locking me in. When I started screaming, I think they were afraid to return because they might get caught,” she said.
“The men took her to a chamber on the third floor of the Lyalpur Law chambers and locked her in a room,” said Rimsha’s brother Saleem. “They then fled for the night, while my sister kept calling out for help. In the morning the police heard her cries and they finally let her out of the room,” he said. “We have come to protest against the lawyers who did this. We want them to be arrested,” Saleem said. Dozens of people arrived at the court on Wednesday morning to protest against the incident and court authorities asked Rimsha to identify the accused if she saw them. “I think they may have fled because they are no longer here,” she said.
According to several lawyers, the owner of the chambers in which the girl was found locked is out of the country and his chambers are usually left open.
“This had to be done by somebody who is familiar with the courts and knew which rooms would be unoccupied,” said Advocate Atif Rehman. “Everyone in the courts knows that the chambers have been empty but they are locked at night. We are investigating the sweepers etc, who have access to the keys for the rooms,” he said.
Police officials are searching for the accused and have registered a case in this regard. Lyalpur Station House Officer (SHO) Altaf Kamal said “the girl is lucky that she is safe and we are relieved to have found her when we did. The men could easily have raped her,” he said.
Published in The Express Tribune, July 7th, 2011.
A young girl was locked up in a lawyer’s chamber for several hours as her family protested outside the court on Wednesday.
According to police officials, a 15-year-old girl was held in the zilla Katchery lawyer’s chambers by unidentified men until she was freed by over a dozen protesters. According to eyewitnesses, Jaranwala resident Rimsha came to Faisalabad in search of work and two men working at the local court offered her a job. “I had applied for several jobs and these men called me because I had applied for an administrative post at the courts,” Rimsha told reporters.
“They told me to come for an interview in the evening. I thought it was suspicious but I still went and later they said they would show me where I would be working. Then they locked me in,” she said.
Rimsha told reporters that the two men had threatened to rape her. “They said they would return and were locking me in. When I started screaming, I think they were afraid to return because they might get caught,” she said.
“The men took her to a chamber on the third floor of the Lyalpur Law chambers and locked her in a room,” said Rimsha’s brother Saleem. “They then fled for the night, while my sister kept calling out for help. In the morning the police heard her cries and they finally let her out of the room,” he said. “We have come to protest against the lawyers who did this. We want them to be arrested,” Saleem said. Dozens of people arrived at the court on Wednesday morning to protest against the incident and court authorities asked Rimsha to identify the accused if she saw them. “I think they may have fled because they are no longer here,” she said.
According to several lawyers, the owner of the chambers in which the girl was found locked is out of the country and his chambers are usually left open.
“This had to be done by somebody who is familiar with the courts and knew which rooms would be unoccupied,” said Advocate Atif Rehman. “Everyone in the courts knows that the chambers have been empty but they are locked at night. We are investigating the sweepers etc, who have access to the keys for the rooms,” he said.
Police officials are searching for the accused and have registered a case in this regard. Lyalpur Station House Officer (SHO) Altaf Kamal said “the girl is lucky that she is safe and we are relieved to have found her when we did. The men could easily have raped her,” he said.
Published in The Express Tribune, July 7th, 2011.