The Kashmore police claimed on Thursday to have arrested a suspect accused of kidnapping and gang-raping a woman and her five-year-old daughter, amid growing outrage.
Kashmore SHO Akbar Ali Channa, who recovered the child from the captivity of the alleged rapists on Tuesday, revealed that the suspect, Rafiq Malak, was produced before a local court on Thursday.
The court remanded Malik to police custody for interrogation, he stated, adding that the police were still trying to track down the other suspect, Khairullah Bugti.
A case has been registered against Malak at the Kashmore police station under Sections 376, 344, 420 and 34 of the Pakistan Penal Code, pertaining to rape, unlawful confinement, cheating and dishonesty and common intention. Later, on the directives of Kashmore SSP Amjad Ali Shaikh, Section 365 of PPC, pertaining to kidnapping, and Section 6/7 of the Anti-Terrorism Act were inserted in the FIR.
T*, a resident of Karachi, told the Kashmore police approximately two weeks ago that she and her daughter were kidnapped and sold to Bugti by Malak. According to her, Malak lured her to Kashmore under the pretence of offering her a job for Rs30,000 per month.
When she reached Kashmore, she said, she and her daughter were both sold and raped. "The culprits let me go but kept my daughter in their captivity," she narrated.
SHO Channa said he launched efforts to locate the child on October 30, finally finding her at a cattle pen on Tuesday. "She was in terrible condition. She had been raped and was injured, with her tooth broken," he stated, adding that she had been tied among goats in the pen.
On Wednesday, a video, apparently recorded by police officials, was shared on social media, showing the child struggling to respond as her mother asked what had been done to her. Her murmur, though not clearly audible in the recording, made her mother scream and burst into tears.
The mother and daughter could be seen sitting on a charpoy with policemen around them. It is not known who recorded the video and how it was leaked.
While the child was found in a traumatised state, Dr Sirajuddin, who has been providing her treatment, said that she was recovering.
According to the SHO, Malak had confessed to raping both T and her daughter during initial interrogation. Medical examination of the child also confirmed that she had been raped by more than two persons.
The FIR states that T was offered a job on October 25 and later travelled to Kashmore, where Malak and two of his accomplices detained her and her daughter, subjecting them to gang-rape at Malak's residence.
Malak later released T, telling her he would only let her daughter go if she brought him another woman from Karachi.
Following the woman's complaint, the police raided Malak's residence, where they found three persons, two of whom escaped. Malak too tried to make his escape good but fell on a pile of bricks, injuring his legs. One of the escaped suspects was Bugti.
Demanding justice
On Thursday, protests in several cities across Sindh demanded exemplary punishment for the culprits and the transfer of the case to the anti-terrorism courts.
"The police have failed to arrest the whole gang of kidnappers and rapists," said Advocate Mustafa Akash, leading a protest in Hyderabad. "It is incumbent on the police to provide justice to their other victims."
Residents of Kashmore also held a protest on Thursday, seeking the case's transfer to an ATC.
"This is one of the most brutal cases of rape, where a mother and her minor daughter were subjected to gang-rape in front of each other," said Jamaat-e-Islami Kashmore's Ameer Wali Jan Mazari.
Meanwhile, in a statement, PPP chairperson Bilawal Bhutto Zardari said he had taken notice of the incident, adding that "the beasts involved in this gruesome crime have shamed humanity." He said the victims would get justice and asked the Sindh government to ensure exemplary punishment for the culprits and adequate treatment for the victims.
Federal Human Rights Minister Shireen Mazari tweeted, "[The] horrific Kashmore rape case shows how despite laws a bestial mindset continues to ravage our society, violating our children," as she called for the Sindh government to ensure strict enforcement of the law.
Terming the incident "sickening," Sindh Governor Imran Ismail tweeted he was following the case to "ensure strictest punishment" for the culprits and the best care for the child.
*Initial used to protect identity
Published in The Express Tribune, November 13th, 2020.
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