Two Swat policemen arrested for rape

Off-duty officers accused of attacking tourist woman

SWAT:

Two police officers have been arrested in Swat over the alleged rape of a woman tourist who was travelling with her husband after visiting the Bahrain scenic spot.

According to police, the couple, residents of Peshawar, had come to Swat for sightseeing. After touring Bahrain they were returning to Mingora General Bus Stand in a taxi when two policemen stopped the vehicle at Angro Dherai. Under the pretext of investigation the officers took the pair to a local hotel in Faza Gat, locked the husband in a separate room and allegedly subjected the woman to gang rape.

The victim, identified only as Mst (A), lodged a complaint at Rahimabad police station the previous night. District Police Officer Swat Muhammad Umar Khan took immediate notice and directed Station House Officer Rahimabad Zahidullah Khan to arrest the suspects. Using CCTV footage a police team traced and detained the two officers.

The arrested men have been identified as Wahid Mahmood, son of Badshah Muhammad, resident of Allah Dhand, Batkhela, and Muhammad Ghazanfar, son of Muhammad Safdar, resident of Chamkani, Peshawar.

Preliminary investigation indicated that the accused took the couple to a hotel room, allegedly raped the woman one after the other, and threatened to kill them if the incident was reported.

The case has raised serious questions about the safety of tourists in Swat, the conduct of police personnel and the enforcement of law. Legal proceedings against the accused are under way and further investigation continues.