The police on Tuesday revealed that they had arrested four suspects in an alleged gang rape of a mentally disabled minor girl in Lahore earlier this month.
A first information report lodged today states that the 14-year-old victim was led to a mosque washroom on May 9 where the four suspects allegedly raped her, a copy of which is with Dawn.com.
“They threatened the mentally challenged girl, warning her that she will be killed if she informs anyone about the incident,” the FIR added, stating the suspects later left the girl in front of her house.
The complainant said the girl was disturbed and fearful after the incident and finally told her parents about the event yesterday.
In a social media post, the Punjab Police mentioned that action was initiated on the complaint, and the four suspects were apprehended and taken into police custody.
Meanwhile, Punjab’s Prosecutor General, Syed Farhad Ali Shah, took cognizance of the incident and summoned the investigation officer on May 22 along with the case record.
The province’s prosecutor general announced the case a “high-profile one” and said strict legal action will be taken against the suspects.
“However, a special prosecution team will be sent to pursue the case,” Shah added.
In spite of the existence of anti-rape laws — with punishment for rape either being the death penalty or jail time of between 10 and 25 years — the cases still dominate the country.
Earlier this month, Non-Governmental Organisation (NGO) Sahil’s statistics showed that a total of 3,364 instances of child abuse were reported across the country in 2024.
862 cases of child sexual abuse, 668 cases of kidnappings, 82 cases of missing children and 18 cases of child marriages were reported in the first half of 2024.48 instances of pornography following sexual abuse were also documented.
