Train guards allegedly rape passenger

This is second incident of sexual assault on a train in one month

CHAK JHUMRA:

During the train journey, a woman was allegedly assaulted by two security guards. On the complaint of the woman, Faisalabad Railway Police arrested the two guards and started a formal investigation. As soon as the assault was reported, senior police officers rushed to the spot who began investigating the matter.

Police said a 25-year-old resident of Landi in Karachi who was traveling by train from Karachi to Rawalpindi to visit her relatives. Two railway employees, security guards Sohail and Arshad, took her to the washroom of the train under the pretext of not having a ticket. They then allegedly raped her when the train was near Khaniwal railway station.

The victim then informed Rescue 15 when the train reached Faisalabad. Police officers including DSP People's Colony Faisalabad and SHO Railway Police Station reached the spot and immediately arrested the two suspects.

They acted on the request of the victim, taking action and directing her medical examination. According to DSP People's Colony, a case will be registered after receiving the victim’s medical report.

Both suspects are in the custody of railway police, who are investigating the matter.

A similar incident was reported at the end of May this year, where a female passenger was sexually assaulted on the Bahauddin-Zakariya Express travelling from Multan to Karachi. Having boarded the train at Muzaffargarh, she was offered a seat in an AC compartment by the ticket officer, identified as Zahid.

Once Zahid took her to the compartment, he allegedly began assaulting her. The train manager, Aaqib and another suspect named Zohaib also allegedly raped the victim. The accused all threatened her with death if she broke her silence. According to reports, the accused also filmed the gang-rape.

Railways police arrested all 3 suspects after the victim gave her statement. Additionally, the department enacted measures to prevent such incidents on trains, including the introduction of a Women’s Safety App.

Published in The Express Tribune, July 1^st, 2022.