Pakpattan gang-rape: Suspects released before DNA test

District and sessions judge recommends action against police over ‘defective investigation’.


Our Correspondent October 15, 2013
Judge said that he had directed the Pakpattan district police officer to take notice of the “defective investigation”. PHOTO: FILE

LAHORE:


The investigation officer in a gang-rape case released several suspects nominated by the victim before the results of DNA and chemical tests came in, the Pakpattan district and sessions judge has told the Lahore High Court.


In a report submitted to the LHC Complaints Cell, the judge said that he had directed the Pakpattan district police officer to take notice of the “defective investigation” and to take action against the investigation officer.

The LHC on Tuesday directed the judge to send in another report in a week updating the court on the submission of the police report of the case to the trial court. The Complaints Cell had earlier instructed the judge to make sure the investigation of the case was transparent.

According to the complainant in the case, she had travelled to Arifwala with a man named Shaukat Ali to collect a payment from the Benazir Income Support Programme. But instead of taking her to the office, he took her to another place where she was raped by Ali, Waqas and Saddam Hussain, she alleged.

The Pakpattan district and sessions judge reported that the police had registered a case and the victim was given a medical exam two days later. The investigation officer took the accused nominated by the complainant into custody, but released them before the DNA and chemical test results were released, the judge said.

The “local police has declared all the accused as innocent merely on the basis of circumstantial evidence ... [it] cannot not be termed a fair investigation”, said the judge.

The police maintained that the investigation was fair and the victim had been unable to substantiate her allegations, he said.

He added that he had directed the DPO to take notice of the incident and the investigation officer’s action.

Published in The Express Tribune, October 16th, 2013.

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