Girl refuses to pardon rape case co-accused

Family says suspect’s marriage is scheduled after Eid

LAHORE:

A girl who has accused her TikTok friends of raping her refused to forgive one of them after his family members pleaded that his marriage is going to be held after Eidul Azha.

Co-accused Asif Wattoo was arrested in Model Town courts after the girl pointed out his presence there. When he was brought to the courts for remand proceedings, his family members touched her feet while begging for forgiveness.

“It will be your greatness if you forgive him,” they said. “It is a matter of our honour as we have to take him to the house of the bride for his marriage scheduled after Eidul Azha,”they said while weeping.

“You people claimed that I am a blackmailer. You are shedding tears to protect your honour but where were you when your son was playing with my honour,” the girl replied. “I will make this a test case to avoid recurrence of such incidents,” she added.

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The gender-based crime cell of Iqbal Town police produced the co-accused before a magistrate, seeking his physical remand for eight days to investigate the incident and get conducted his DNA test. However, the judge granted the police his five-day remand.

The complainant’s counsel Aftab Hanjra seconded the police’s request for physical remand of the accused.

According to the FIR lodged by the girl in Millat Park police station under section 376 of the PPC, she and the accused Sheraz had become friends through the social media.

She said the accused met her on July 13 along with his friends. An accomplice stepped out of the car while Sheraz and co-accused Asif raped her at gunpoint, she alleged.

Published in The Express Tribune, July 27^th, 2020.