Stage dancer shot for 'rejecting advances'

Victim ambushed on her way to hotel after performance

DIJKOT:

A stage dancer, Faiza Saleem, also known by her stage name Soha Ali, was shot and injured by two assailants on Rajbah Road in Faisalabad late last night.

The incident occurred as she was leaving a theatre performance and heading to a hotel in her car. Police said the gunmen, identified as Aamir and an accomplice, ambushed Faiza's vehicle and opened fire on her, reportedly on the orders of a man named Bao Anjum.

Faiza sustained a gunshot wound to her left leg and was immediately shifted to Civil Hospital Faisalabad, where she is currently undergoing treatment.

Police reached the scene soon after the attack and have registered a case against the accused.

The victim reported to the police that Aamir had previously harassed her and attempted to force her into a sexual relationship, which she refused. On the night of the attack, the gunmen reportedly told her, "You made a mistake by not obeying me," before opening fire.

In response to the attack, Faisalabad's City Police Officer (CPO), DIG Kamran Adil, took immediate notice and ordered SP Lyallpur Town Rehman Qadir to lead an investigation. Multiple police teams have been formed to arrest the accused, with raids currently underway. "The accused will be brought to justice, and we are taking all necessary steps to ensure the protection of artists, who are valuable assets to our society," said CPO Kamran Adil in a statement to the media.

In other incidents across Faisalabad, two women and two young boys were sexually assaulted in separate cases. A 27-year-old woman in the Koh-e-Noor area was abducted by two men while searching for a job.

She was taken to a house and sexually assaulted. In another case, a man named Ahmad Ali lured a woman to a house in Shama Colony, Marzipura, and raped her.

Separately, a 14-year-old boy in Johar Colony was also molested by his friend, Ahmed, while another woman was sexually assaulted by a man named Imran in 102 GB. Police have registered cases in all incidents and are actively searching for the suspects involved.

Meanwhile, in Jaranwala, two young men, Muhammad Saeem and Shabbir Ishaq, were injured in a separate shooting incident allegedly involving unidentified policemen.