LAHORE: The alleged teenage gangrape victim girl told a female judicial magistrate on Wednesday that she had friendship with the prime suspect and had gone out with him to receive a birthday gift on the day of incident.

Recording her first statement under section 164 of CrPC before magistrate Tabinda Batool, the alleged victim (name withheld) said that she was not raped but sodomised. She was accompanied with her counsel, mother and other family members in the magistrate’s chamber.

She stated that she left her house on the pretext of visiting her tailor but went to a hotel on The Mall with the suspect in a car. She said while traveling to the hotel the suspect stopped at a point to buy a birthday gift for her. Another suspect received them at the hotel, she said, adding that in the room, she was offered drink that made her unconscious.

The victim said she felt during the unconsciousness that the suspects had undressed her and forced her to dance. The girl said she believed that the suspects subjected her to sodomy.

Admits friendship with prime suspect

Defending delay in recording the statement, she said she had been unable to talk and understand things for many days after consuming the drink spiked with intoxicants and mistreatment at the hotel.

After the proceeding, the girl talked to reporters and denied having any knowledge about relation of the prime suspect with Punjab Education Minister Rana Mashhood Khan.

Her mother told reporters that her daughter had suffered an act of brutality and needed justice. She said they would knock every door of justice till the perpetrators were brought to justice.

The brother in-law of the alleged victim said the family had been facing immense pressure from different quarters since the gruesome incident occurred. He appealed to the Punjab chief minister to ensure their protection.

Racecourse police had arrested the prime suspect, a former office-bearer of the PML-N Youth Wing, and seven others for allegedly gang-raping the teenage girl.

They allegedly abducted the girl from Multan Road and took her to a guest house on The Mall. They left the girl unconscious in a room of the hotel and informed her family through a text message.

Also, a sessions’ court admonished the station house officer of the Racecourse police for not producing the record of the case on bail petitions by the suspects. The court directed the SHO to produce the record on next hearing.

Published in Dawn, January 14th, 2016