Cousin apprehended over orphaned teen’s ‘gang rape’

Police in Rawalpindi arrested on Monday a man in connection with the gang rape of a 13-year-old orphan in the remits of the Airport police station.

According to the complaint, filed by the girl’s grandfather, the girl’s parents have passed away and she lives with him after he was declared her legal guardian. The complaint said that the girl stepped out of the house to get groceries on Friday but didn’t return till late.

She arrived at their salon, located on Khayaban-e-Tanveer Road, she was groggy and semi-conscious. The girl said that her cousin, Salman, had taken her to an unidentified location. There, Salman raped her and also chopped off her hair.

After the incident was reported, Rawalpindi police chief Khalid Hamdani instructed the superintendent of police of Pothohar to oversee the investigation and bring the culprits to justice.

The police along with Operations SSP Captain (retd) Aamir Niazi visited the residence of the victim and spoke to the survivor as well as her grandfather to gather further information.

Police added that the girl had undergone a medical examination to ascertain whether the gang rape took place. “The complaint and the investigation so far do not suggest that more than one person was involved,”

said the police. The accused will be presented in court with the right evidence, they added.

Published in The Express Tribune, June 27^th, 2023.