Rape case suspects remain at large

Schoolgirl was forcibly taken to a house while returning home from a shop

LAHORE:

Police are yet to arrest the suspects nominated in a case of rape of a 13-year-old girl reported from Kahna three days back.

The student of eighth grade was allegedly assaulted by a man who fled along with an accomplice after the incident. A medical report confirmed the rape.

The police registered the case on the complaint of the girl's father but the suspects are yet to be arrested.

The complainant stated that his daughter, a resident of Seraij village, went to a shop alone to buy stationery for her studies and was assaulted on her way back.

He alleged that a young man from the neighborhood named Khawar and an accomplice forcibly took the girl to a relative's house where the main suspect raped her.

After hearing the noise of the girl, the neighbours gathered at the spot and tried to catch the suspects but they fled while waving weapons by climbing over a wall of the house.

Locals informed the police about the incident on the emergency helpline. A forensic team and a heavy contingent of police arrived on the scene, gathered evidence and rushed the girl to a hospital, where her medical examination confirmed that she had been raped.

Kahna police registered a case against Khawar and his accomplice Ilias on the complaint of the victim's father. When contacted, an official of the Kahna Gender Crime Cell said police had raided the homes of the suspects but they were locked and the families had gone into hiding. Their phones were also switched off, she added. The official said police team had been formed the arrest the suspects.

However, the girl's family alleged that the suspects were influential and the police were not making serious efforts to arrest them.

Residents of the area also protested over the incident and demanded arrest of the suspects.

Cases of sexual assaults and rape are not uncommon in the province.

On November 28, two women and a teenage boy were allegedly sexually assaulted in Khurianwala. Police said that the accused had allegedly lured the victims on the pretext of a job. Police registered cases and started raids to arrest the culprits.

In the first sexual assault incident, the complainant, a resident of Chak No 214, Rab Dhadiwala, told the police that she financially supported her children by working in other people’s homes as domestic help.

During her work she met the accused Abdul Karim, Sardar Ahmed Bhatti Javed Dahlon, Rana Javed and Adnan alias Mani in Jalvi Market.

They lured her by offering her a job and decent salary in a private school as well as free accommodation. The complainant stated that the owner of the school, who was at a fish farm, had to interview her. The accused allegedly took her to the fish farm where they kept her in a room. Meanwhile, the accused Abdul Karim and Ahmed allegedly sexually assaulted her.

The other accused Javed filmed the rape incident. Police registered a case against the accused under Sections 496A and 376 and started raids for their arrest. Separately, the accused Altaf Adnan sexually abused a woman, a resident of Bilal Town, Jaranwala Road, on the pretext of giving her a job.

During this time, the accused Altaf was also making a video on which the police took action under Section 376.

In another incident, the alleged rapist identified as Rizwan assaulted a 14-yearold boy, the son of Zulfiqar, in Siddique Nagar, Batala Colony. Incidents of sexual assault were rampant across the province. On July 25, two women lodged rape cases in the city.

Published in The Express Tribune, November 30^th, 2021.