Police make arrests for two sexual violence cases against minors in Lahore

14-09-2022

Charlotte Parker

Pakistan and Human Rights Researcher

Global Human Rights Defence 

In the past two weeks, two minors have been reportedly sexually assaulted in Lahore. 

The most recent victim, described as a 10-year-old mentally challenged girl, identified as Kiran, was lured by an unknown man. Kiran’s parents claimed their daughter was lured from their home, while reports claim the victim had been playing in the street and was lured from there. In either case, alarm was raised by Kiran’s aunt as she noticed blood stains on her clothes as she returned home.This subsequently led to the filing of a police report and medical examination. 

The perpetrator was identified through CCTV footage and witnesses as an elderly man, with the victim later confirming his identity. He was then apprehended by police and is in police custody whilst further investigation is underway. 

The Lahore Capital City Police has also recently made arrests concerning another sexual violence case against another minor in the region. The Lahore Capital City Police reported the prime suspect, identified as Ali Raza, for the rape and murder of a minor that occurred a week prior. This comes after the alleged perpetrator gave conflicting statements to the police, through the use of DNA and polygraph tests of 11 suspects and samples taken from the victim and Raza. 

In this case, the alleged rapist, who owned the swimming pool where the child had been, lured the victim by offering her biscuits, after which he took her behind the canteen of the swimming pool facilities where he proceeded to rape her. After seually assaulting her, Raza seems to have strangulated the girl and subsequently threw her body in the swimming pool, staging the crime as an accidental death. Raza initially claimed the victim had gone back to her home, later issuing a different statement, claiming the victim had drowned in the pool, which alerted the police who later arrested him. 

Sources and further reading:

1. Pakistan Today. Mentally-challenged minor girl raped. (2022, 13 September). Pakistantoday.com. Retrieved 14 September 2022 from  https://www.pakistantoday.com.pk/2022/09/13/mentally-challenged-minor-girl-raped/ 
2. Asif Chaudhry. Suspect held after rape of mentally-challenged minor. (2022, 14 September). Dawn.com. Retrieved 14 September 2022 from https://www.dawn.com/news/1710036/suspect-held-after-rape-of-mentally-challenged-minor