Gilgit gang rape: Third accused arrested in Rawalpindi

Victim’s family pressed to withdraw charges.

GILGIT: The third and last suspect in the Gilgit gang rape case has been arrested in Rawalpindi, police said on Wednesday.

“A team sent from Gilgit arrested Adnan in Rawalpindi,” said a police official requesting anonymity as he is not authorised to speak to the media.

Adnan was one of the three men who allegedly raped a 20-year-old woman on July 26. Although his accomplices Zulfiqar and Asif were arrested earlier, Adnan was on the run.



Insiders privy to the development said Sadia’s* family is being pressurised into an out-of-court settlement. Talking to The Express Tribune, a relative of Sadia said, “They [families of accused] are threatening us with dire consequences if we do not settle the case with them.”

He added the families want them to withdraw the charges immediately, saying retired and serving police officers are negotiating on their behalf.

A day earlier, the victim narrated the ordeal she went through before civil judge Amina Zameer in Gilgit. In her statement, she also showed the threats sent to her by the accused via SMS. They had threatened to circulate the video of the rape if she does not remain silent.

Sadia, a resident of Gojal Valley, is an undergraduate student staying in Gilgit. On July 29, she filed a case with Jutial police saying she was gang raped by three men, including Zulfiqar and Adnan. Sadia added she did not recognise the third rapist. A day after registering the case, police raided a house in Nomal and arrested Zulfiqar. The detainee disclosed Asif’s identity during interrogation.

*NAME HAS BEEN CHANGED TO PROTECT IDENTITY

Published in The Express Tribune, August 20^th, 2015.