Kasur man held for raping six minor girls in a month

Victims, aged between 10 and 12 years, have identified the suspect, according to police

KASUR:

In yet another case of sexual violence in Kasur, Punjab Police on Saturday arrested a man for the alleged rape of six minor girls in a month’s time.

Authorities say the suspect would lure the minor girls by using different tactics in District Kasur's Sarai Mughal locality in Pattoki Tehsil.

The age of the victims, who have identified the suspect after the arrest, ranged between 10 and 12 years.

A case has been registered against the culprit who would now undergo a DNA test. Further investigation in this regard is under way, according to police.

Meanwhile, the District Police Office (DPO) Kasur has suspended SHO Sarai Mughal for not taking timely action despite the availability of CCTV footage as the suspect was only arrested following public outcry.

Parents and local residents had launched protests against the police inaction.

Kasur is notorious for such heinous crimes. In 2015, officials uncovered a huge paedophilia ring in the city. At least 280 children were sexually abused on camera by men who later blackmailed their families, threatening to leak the footage.

Police conspicuously failed to act despite pleas from parents, only making arrests after clashes between relatives and authorities dragged the issue into the spotlight.

In 2018, seven girls were raped and killed before the infamous Zainab rape-murder case. Four minor boys were raped and killed in Kasur’s Chunian neighbourhood last year alone.

More than two years after the Zainab case, the National Assembly passed the Zainab Alert, Response and Recovery Bill, 2019 that seeks to expedite investigation and punishment for perpetrators of child abuse.