FAISALABAD:
A total of 97 women and girls were subjected to gang rape across Faisalabad district during the first 11 months of the current year, but no accused was convicted in court, official statistics show. The number of gang rape cases recorded in 2024 was 80.
During the current year, 97 cases of gang rape were reported in Faisalabad district.
Of these, 12 cases were recorded in Lyallpur city, 23 in Iqbal city division, 27 in Madina city division, 15 in Jaranwala division and 20 in Saddar division.
Of the 297 accused named in these cases, police were able to arrest 145 people, while 66 suspects were found not guilty.
However, nine cases were dismissed, 10 remain under investigation and 15 remain pending due to delays in DNA samples.
In one of the latest incidents, Mohammad Riaz, a resident of 204-RB, reported that his 22-year-old daughter had been living with Ijaz Ali of 122-JB in Noor Pur due to their personal relationship.
Riaz claimed in his complaint that Ijaz would take his daughter to various dance parties.
On November 22, Riaz’s friend Ameer Hamza, along with his wife, Zobia Mushtaq, took her to a house near the executive main gate of Al-Noor, where she was served breakfast and lassi.
According to the FIR, the lassi made her faint, after which Ameer Hamza and his accomplices allegedly gang-raped her one by one.
Later, the accused abandoned her near a salon and fled.
Madina Town police registered a case of gangrape under Section 375-A and on the instructions of town police officer Sahibzada Bilal Umar, SHO Adeel Akram Cheema conducted raids and arrested the three accused.
Police officials said DNA tests were conducted on the victims and suspects before Challans was produced in court. However, despite these efforts, no suspect has been convicted in any gang rape case this year.
Officials attribute the delays to the slow processing of DNA reports, which should ideally be issued within three months but often take up to six months, causing significant processing delays.
Sources revealed that 10 cases are still under investigation, nine were dismissed after DNA reports did not confirm gang rape and 15 cases are still pending as DNA samples were not collected on time.
SSP investigator Nasir Mehmood Bajwa said a dedicated SSIO unit has been set up in the district to handle gang rape cases, ensuring that each case is resolved strictly on merit.
He stated that of the cases registered this year, 10 have been dismissed, while challans in 34 cases have been filed in court.
In these cases, 66 suspects were found innocent, he added, assuring that evidence is being collected in all the remaining cases and will be completed soon.
Speaking about the increasing number of incidents of gang rape in the district, Senior Advocate Owais Manawar Randhawa of the Bar High Court said since women officers were deployed in the SSIO unit, such cases have increased.
On the other hand, HRCP grievance officer Anila Ashraf said that a total of 1,042 cases of gang rape were registered across Punjab this year, including 97 cases in Faisalabad district.
