MANSEHRA: An alleged rape victim on Friday accused a police official of issuing death threats to her and family for not settling the matter out of the court.

The 15-year-old girl told reporters here that she had contacted the Shinkiari police for justice after a man raped her on the way from school to home in Jabbori but the police’s investigation officer, too, raped her after taking her to a rest house in Mansehra.

Accompanied by lawyer Saeed Ahmad Mashhadi and parents, she said the man, who had raped her in Jabbori, filmed her and threatened to make the film public if she spoke against him.

“My family first decided to keep silent but later contacted the police for registration of a case against the rapist. The investigation officer called me and my father to Mansehra for medical examination but instead of going to the hospital, he took us to a rest house and raped me her there after keeping parents outside,” she said.

The girl said on her complaint, district police officer Mansehra Khurram Rashid suspended the policeman and put him behind bars.

“Now, the policeman is issuing death threats to me and my family if we don’t settle the matter out of court,” she said.

Lawyer Mashhadi said his client was too poor to pursue the case and therefore, the DPO should dispense justice to her by ensuring punishment of influential rapists.

He said her client could move to Karachi for security reasons and if that happened, the case would be badly affected.

UNHYGIENIC COOKING OIL SEIZED: The district administration of Mansehra on Friday seized a large quantity of unhygienic cooking oil during a raid on an illegal factory in the forest area of Baffa here.

The factory owner and two workers were also arrested.

Assistant commissioner Dr Qasim Ali Khan told reporters that the seized cooking oil was made of animal remains, including intestines, fat, bones and offal.

He said 30 cooking oil containers and animal remains were seized.

The assistant commissioner said the illegal factory set up in a house under construction in the forest area was sealed.

He said the people playing havoc with the people’s life would be dealt with strictly.

Published in Dawn, August 23rd, 2014