Online friendship ends in 'fraud, sexual abuse'

A Facebook friendship in Rawalpindi has allegedly ended in an undesirable manner, with a man allegedly exploiting and sexually abusing a woman for three years after befriending her on the social media platform and promising to marry her, before suddenly marrying elsewhere.

Rawat police have registered a case. According to police, the affected woman is a working woman who lodged the complaint leading to registration of the case.

In her complaint, she stated that she worked as an assistant at a hair transplant institute and earned Rs0.1 million per month.

She said she became acquainted with Vishal Akhtar on Facebook three years ago and later contacted him by phone, after which their relationship grew.

Vishal assured her that he would marry her. She said she gave him clothes, shoes, a watch, perfume and other gifts on different occasions, while Vishal also kept taking money from her at different times. She said receipts for all the items, worth Rs0.2 million, were available.

Similarly, he took Rs0.3 in cash on different occasions and asked her to introduce him to her family. She did so, after which he also started visiting her home, and word spread among the family and relatives that she was going to marry Vishal.

She alleged that Vishal had been sexually abusing her for three years by deceiving her with promises of love and marriage. In April, she said, he took her to a hotel room in Phase VII, where he allegedly sexually assaulted her by force.

She said his visit to and departure from the hotel could also be confirmed through CCTV cameras. She alleged that he later threatened to kill her if she told anyone.

She said she had now learnt that he had married someone else and refused to marry her. Vishal, she alleged, deceived and sexually exploited her, defamed her among her entire family and ruined her reputation, while also taking money and gifts from her and committing fraud. She sought legal action.

Police said a case had been registered and the investigation was under way.