Key accused arrested in child 'rape' case
Police have arrested the main suspect in a child sexual abuse case involving an eight-year-old girl in the Sadiqabad area of Rawalpindi, while other relatives accused of concealing the alleged offence and threatening the child into silence have yet to be arrested.
According to the complainant, Nauman Ejaz, who belongs to Lahore, he sent his two daughters, aged eight and six, to Rawalpindi on September 23 to attend the wedding of the sister of the nominated suspect, Haider Ali. The girls travelled with their paternal grandmother.
The complainant alleged that, after returning to Lahore, his eight-year-old daughter, a fourth-grade pupil who was also studying the Holy Quran by heart, told her mother that she was experiencing severe pain in her private parts. She alleged that, on the night of September 25, while she was asleep at the house of Haider Ali's maternal grandmother, Parveen Akhtar, the suspect took her to another room and sexually assaulted her.
According to the complaint, the girl said she woke up because of the pain and screamed, but the suspect covered her mouth and threatened to kill her if she told her grandmother or anyone else about the incident.
The family subsequently took the child to a female gynaecologist, who advised them to seek an examination at a government hospital and register a case against those responsible, the complainant said.
He further alleged that the girl had initially told her paternal grandmother, Zahida Parveen, about the incident. The grandmother reportedly informed Parveen Akhtar, who then called the suspect's mother, Uzma, and his maternal aunt, Shaista, and told them what had happened.
The complainant alleged that the relatives attempted to suppress the matter, saying that the family was preparing for a wedding and that disclosing the incident would disrupt the celebrations and damage the child's reputation. He further claimed that the girl and her grandmother were subjected to intimidation and that the child was repeatedly pressured not to tell her parents after returning to Lahore.
The complainant accused other family members of helping to conceal the alleged offence and sought legal action against them. Police registered a case and arrested the main suspect during the investigation. The other relatives nominated in the complaint, including women, have not yet been arrested.