Gang rape: Landlords after couple for taking up case

Mazhar and Sadia are in hiding, say police were not arresting accused.

SHEDANI SHARIF:

A group of local landlords have allegedly threatened the lives of a gang rape victim and her husband unless they drop a case against them.

According to residents in Shedani Sharif, Rahim Yar Khan resident Mazhar Din and his wife Sadia Bibi have appealed to the court and police for protection after Sadia Bibi was raped by four landlords a couple of weeks ago. “The couple has locked themselves in their house and are clambering for help. They are desperate for protection,” said Sadia Bibi’s cousin Khalida.

Khalida told reporters that the accused landlords Chaudhary Muhammad Iqbal and his accomplices had threatened medical officials not to issue a certificate confirming that Sadia had been raped. “They stalked her and her husband for a week so that they couldn’t approach a doctor or the police,” she said.

Sadia Bibi told reporters that Iqbal was her husband’s employer and used to visit their house often. “On the day of the incident my husband wasn’t at home and he and his men abducted me. They took me to their dera in Ghazipur and raped me for five days,” she said.

Mazhar Din told reporters that he kept searching for his wife and appealed to the police to file a case. Station House Officer (SHO) Shahinshah Chandio registered a case and arrested Chaughary Iqbal.

“The Investigation Officer Azmat Ali Gahuri let him go and is not arresting the men. He has been trying to force us to settle even though Iqbal and his men are threatening to kill us either way,” Din said.

The couple have appealed to the District Police Officer (DPO) and Resident Police Officer (RPO) to help them get justice.

The names of the victim and her family have been changed to protect her identity

Published in The Express Tribune, October 18^th, 2011.