KARACHI, Dec 18: A newly-married woman was allegedly raped by a man who had kidnapped her from outside the shrine of Abdullah Shah Ghazi on Monday.

The woman (X) in her mid-20s was married to (Y) four months ago and had come to visit the city three days back from Lahore and they were staying in a Saddar hotel. SP Asif Ajaz told Dawn the couple went to the shrine on Monday evening. Her husband went inside the shrine but she, fearful of the crowd, (X) stayed outside.

Meanwhile, a Cultus car pulled up there and a man asked her why she was standing there. After hearing her reply that she was waiting for her husband, the man went away. A little later the same man came, made her unconscious and drove her away.

The SP said as the suspect was taking her to an apartment in a state of semi-consciousness, the victim read the address as “Phase II”.

Police quoting the victim said that she was raped by the accused during the night. In the morning she noticed a cheque book in the name of Khalid Husain Baloch, bearing the address of Allied Bank, Khayaban-i-Jami branch.

As her cellphone was out of credit, when she received her husband’s call, she told him about the cheque book and ‘Phase II’.

The husband reported the matter to the police and the case was assigned to Sub-inspector Raja Afzal, the SP said.

The SI went to the bank branch on Tuesday morning and retrieved the suspect’s address. Subsequently, police raided the apartment and recovered the girl and arrested the man, a travel agent.

The woman was taken to the JPMC for a medical examination. Hospital sources said her vaginal swabs and clothes had been sent for a chemical report. Police have registered an FIR (487/07) at the Boat Basin police station.

The suspects tried to settle the matter by offering money, but the couple rejected the offer.