Punjab Police reports 5% jump in rape cases this year

Punjab Police arrested and submitted charge sheets against suspects in around 70% of cases

RAWALPINDI:

The percentage of rape and gang rape cases registered with the police in the province has increased by around five per cent when compared to the first seven months of the last year.

This was disclosed in a report released by the Punjab Police.

Sources in the provincial police department said that during the first seven months of the ongoing calendar year, some 2,043 cases rape were registered at police stations in the 36 districts of the province. This included some 111 gang-rape cases.

The police arrested and submitted charge sheets against the suspects in some 1,371 cases.

The sources claimed that at the moment, investigations into some 295 cases are underway while offenders in most of the cases have been booked.

It added that suspects in two cases have yet to be traced while some 375 cases were closed due to different reasons.

The Express Tribune was informed that 111 gang-rape cases were also reported during the same period while suspects in 72 of these cases are held by the police. Charge-sheets against the offenders have also been presented in the courts.

At least 13 gang-rape cases are under investigation in which the police are striving to arrest the suspects apart from collecting the necessary evidence, the sources said. While all cases were fully resolved, at least 26 cases were closed due to different reasons, the sources added.

Intoxicated boys raped and filmed

Meanwhile, the Rawalpindi police have registered a case against seven suspects charged with sexually abusing two teenaged boys and filming their obscene videos for blackmailing.

The victim, KI*, told the Saddar police that he and his friend, SH*, had befriended a boy named Hamza nearly three months ago.

On the day of the incident, Hamza met the victims and insisted they accompany him home to attend his engagement ceremony. He took the victims to a house in the Mohra Chappar area of Iqbal Town where two youngsters were already waiting, identified as Tauqeer and Saif. While consuming alcohol, the suspects offered the victims a drink but they turned it down. In the meantime, three more boys arrived at the house and they forced the victims to drink the liquor.

Later, those three boys left and the suspects attempted to sexually abuse the victims but the complainants ran to the roof from where they jumped to safety.

However, four suspects' of accomplices, including Sher Khan, Azrudeen, Sohail, Wahab and Hamza arrived and caught KI*. They took him into the house where they sexually abused both victims on gunpoint while recording the entire ordeal.

They threatened to kill the victims and post the video on the internet if they told anyone.

The police have registered a case and started the investigation. Religious teacher held for rape attempt

Police have arrested a religious teacher who allegedly attempted to sexually abuse a minor girl at her home within the remits of the Saddar police station on Sunday.

The father of the six-year-old told the police that the suspect, Qari Rizwan, came to his house to teach his daughter. However, he shut the door and allegedly attempted to sexually abuse her. When the victim screamed and knocked on the door violently, the suspect ran away.

Police registered a case against the suspect and arrested him.

*Name withheld to protect the identity

 

Published in The Express Tribune, September 21^st, 2020.