Crime against children: Neighbour held for child rape

Police say a neighbour picked up the child on her way from a fair.

FAISALABAD:

An eight-year-old was taken to a hospital in Toba Tek Singh after she was found lying unconscious in a field. Doctors treating her said that she would likely survive. They said they had yet to find out if she had been raped. A suspect was arrested shortly afterwards.

Rajana police said the child, a resident of Chak 284-GB, was picked up by a neighbour on her way home from a fair at the neighbourhood market. They said she was with another child, who ran away when the suspect approached them. Police said she was taken to a sugarcane field in the area, where she was allegedly raped. They said she had bruises on her body.  They said the child’s friend rushed to her home and informed her father, who they said, rushed to the point where she had been kidnapped from. He said he looked every where, but could not find her. He said he heard that a child had been found unconscious in the field and rushed to see if it was his daughter. He said he found her in a bad condition. She was unconscious and bruised. She was taken to a hospital.

Police said some farmers had contacted them claiming to be witnesses. They told police that they had seen the suspect beat the child. They said on seeing them, he fled leaving the child behind.

District Police Officer Shehzad Asif Khan visited the scene and ordered the police to arrest the suspect. Later the DPO also visited the child at the hospital and assured her family of his support.

The SHO said that a rape and assault case had been registered against the suspect. He said police were waiting for the medical examination report.

Published in The Express Tribune, September 28^th, 2013.