Two suspects have been arrested in relation to an alleged gang violation on the Faisalabad highway earlier this week, police said Friday.
Despite the presence of laws against violation, with punishment for violation, whether it results in the death penalty or imprisonment between 10 and 25 years, cases continue to prevail in the country.
According to a press release from the Faisalabad police spokesman, the victim and her husband went home in Chak no 62 JB JB Chanan when they were arrested by three unidentified suspects, near the highway bridge in the vicinity of the Sandar Bar Police Station, which allegedly raped her at the tip of her husband and her husband’s mobile phone.
He added that several senior police officers had immediately reached the place when they were alerted by the husband.
He said that a team from the Punjab Forensic Sciences Agency team collected evidence of the scene and subsequently registered a case against the three suspects under sections 375 (rape) and 392 (Punishment for theft) of the Pakistan Criminal Code at the Sandal Bar Police Station.
However, the first information report was presented under section 375a (group violation), not in section 375.
According to the press release, the city police officer (CPO) Sahibzada Bilal Omer sent arrest equipment to trace the suspects. He added that with modern resources and work day and night, they tracked the first suspect that he revealed during the investigation that was accompanied by two others.
On Friday, a CPO Omer spokesman said in a statement that a second suspect was arrested within the limits of the Sandal Bar Police Station.
“A team was formed under the leadership of the SP IQBAL ABAD Zafar division on the instructions of the CPO,” reads the statement.
“Sandal Bar Shokib Butt took measures and arrested the second suspect involved in the incident. The police recovered the mobile phone stolen during the incident,” the statement added.
Cpo Omer said that the protection of life and ownership of the public was the main priority of the Faisalabad Police. “The arrested suspects will be punished according to the law,” he said.
Going to a press conference in Lahore on the matter, Punjab Information Minister Bokhari Azma said that violence against women and children would not be tolerated under the current provincial government.
“When she (Punjab Prime Minister Maryam Nawaz) said:” Violence against women and children is my red line, “those were not just words.
“Yesterday, after the Faisalabad incident, I can say … the prime minister did not rest until that suspect was arrested,” added the minister. “She monitored the operation personally and the suspect was arrested in several hours.”
Later in the day, the Punjab Police Inspector (IG) Usman Anwar and other police officers visited the victim and his family about the instructions of the Prime Minister.
He transmitted the message of sympathy and solidarity of CM Maryam to the affected family and assured them to provide full justice and that you accounts for the suspects.
“On the instructions of Punjab CM, the Faisalabad police took appropriate measures and arrested the main suspect in a few hours. The Punjab Ig Dr. Usman Anwar said that, according to the vision of the CM of Punjab, Maryam Nawaz Sharif, there is a zero tolerance policy about the rape, violence and harassment of women,” said a statement.
Earlier this week, Punjab police arrested three suspects to allegedly violate a woman in Lahore.
“The suspects were arrested within 2 hours after they were reported,” police said, adding that three were arrested while the raids were underway to stop the fourth suspect.
A case was recorded against the suspects under section 375a of the PPC, at the Chung Police station.
