FAISALABAD:
A total of 97 women and girls were gang-raped in Faisalabad district in the first 11 months of the current year, but no accused was convicted by the court, according to official statistics. The number of gang rape cases recorded in 2024 was 80.
During the current year, 97 cases of gang rapes were reported in Faisalabad district.
Of these, 12 cases were recorded in Lyallpur town, 23 in Iqbal town division, 27 in Madina town 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 declared innocent.
However, nine cases were dismissed, 10 are still under investigation and 15 are still 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 was living with Ijaz Ali of 122-JB in Noor Pur due to their personal relationship.
Riaz said in his complaint that Ijaz used to take his daughter to various dance parties.
On November 22, Riaz’s friend Ameer Hamza and his wife Zobia Mushtaq took her to a house near the Al-Noor Executive Main Gate, 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.
The accused then abandoned her near a salon and fled.
Madina city police registered a case of gang rape under Section 375-A and on the instructions of city police officer Sahibzada Bilal Umar, SHO Adeel Akram Cheema conducted raids and arrested the three accused.
Police officials said DNA tests on the victims and suspects were conducted before submitting the complaints to the court. However, despite these efforts, no suspects have been convicted in any gang rape case this year.
Authorities attribute the delays to the slow processing of DNA reports, which ideally should be released within three months but often take up to six months, leading to significant setbacks in prosecutions.
Sources revealed that 10 cases are still under investigation, nine were dismissed after DNA reports failed to confirm gang rape, and 15 cases are still ongoing because DNA samples were not collected on time.
Investigating SSP Nasir Mehmood Bajwa said a dedicated SSIO unit has been established in the district to deal with gang rape cases, ensuring that each case is resolved strictly on merits.
He said that among the cases registered this year, 10 were dismissed, while complaints in 34 cases were submitted to the courts.
In these cases, 66 suspects were declared innocent, he added, assuring that evidence in all remaining cases is being compiled and will soon be completed.
Speaking about the increasing number of gang rape incidents in the district, senior advocate Owais Manawar Randhawa, an advocate at the High Court, said since women officers were deployed in the SSIO unit, such cases have increased.
On the other hand, HRCP complaints officer Anila Ashraf said a total of 1,042 cases of gang rape were registered this year across Punjab, including 97 cases in Faisalabad district.
