HYDERABAD:
Six police officers from Jacobabad district have been arrested and booked for gang rape of a minor girl in custody as the victim’s family, community and civil society complain to save other suspects, including the SHO, from the case. District SSP Muhammad Kaleem Malik confirmed on Monday that his own investigation revealed that the allegations by A* Khoso, 17, daughter of Khuda Bux Khoso, and her family were true.
“The ladies were arrested as suspects in a murder case. One night [Saturday night] “The SHO went on leave and that night the manager took the keys of that room and six police officers raped her,” Malik told the media. However, the victim’s family, Khoso community elders and civil society representatives led by lawyer Zubeda Jakhrani rejected the FIR, blaming the SSP for trying to protect the SHO of police station RD-52, whose police officers raped the girl.
The FIR was lodged following a complaint by Noor Khatoon Khoso, grandmother, under sections 375 A, 334, 506/2, 148 and 149 of the Pakistan Penal Code. Deputy Sub Inspector Mehrab Khan Sundrani, Police Chief Abdul Nabi Abro and Constables Barkat Ali Jkhrani, Khadim Ali Jakhrani, Ghulam Yaseen Jakhrani and Mir Hassan Abro have been nominated in the case.
The victim and her sister Farzana, 15, along with their grandmother, were arrested on January 7 around four in the afternoon. They were allegedly kept in a private place along with male police officers. The alleged rape incident occurred on the night of January 12 and they were released the next day.
The complainant alleged that the police took them hostage to put pressure on some men in her family who were booked in a murder FIR. The family also complained of being harassed by police to prevent them from seeking justice.
Lawyer Zubeda Jakhrani claimed that during the police raid on his house, the police also looted the dowry of the rape victim, whose wedding is scheduled for next month, and the goats. “Thanks to robberies, robberies, murders and kidnappings, the police have already lost their trust and these incidents are now generating hatred among the people.”
The lawyer, who helped the family in registering the FIR, medical examination of the victim and campaigning for justice, questioned why the detainees were not kept with the lady police officer. “Where are the women’s protection cells?”
