LAHORE: The Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) government has sought from Punjab the custody of a young man who is facing trial for allegedly sexually assaulting some medics and extorting money from them.

The Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) authorities have requested the KP government to bring the accused to Peshawar for investigation into a case registered against him for harassing a lady doctor.

Initially, two dozen lady doctors of Lahore’s teaching hospitals had reported the harassment case against Abdul Wahab some eight months back, an official told Dawn. Later, it became a high-profile case when the number of those affected rose to nearly 200 as more medics started filing complaints to their respective institutions.

The accused is being tried by an anti-terrorism court where seven witnesses, mostly policemen, have recorded their statements against him.

In Peshawar’s case, the lady doctor in her application had complained to the FIA that the accused had been blackmailing her after getting access to her private photos and messages through the call data record (CDR), the official said. She alleged that the man’s harassment and blackmailing tactics led to her divorce.

After investigation into the case for months, the FIA finally came to know that it was the same person who was facing charges in Lahore. It then sought through a letter his custody.

The KP Home and Tribal Affairs Department wrote to the Punjab home secretary that Abdul Wahab was in judicial custody in Lahore’s Camp Jail in a case lodged against him under section 25/D Telegraph Act and 7ATA at the Gowalmandi police station. “It is therefore requested that necessary arrangements may please be made for transfer of the accused from the Camp Jail Lahore to FIA Peshawar for further necessary legal action,” the letter stated.

There were reports that Abdul Wahab, who belongs to Toba Tek Singh, sexually assaulted some medics after threatening to leak their photographs, text messages and call data. Most victims worked in the Fatima Jinnah Medical University, the King Edward Medical University, the Children’s Hospital, the Jinnah Hospital and some private hostels.

“The stuff including video clips, objectionable photos and text messages of the victims was saved by the accused in a laptop which was in the custody of the CIA police who are investigating the case,” said Dr Salman Kazmi, the complainant. He said the Anti-Terrorism Court had directed the CIA officials to present the laptop before the court as evidence but they were not complying with the instructions.

Published in Dawn, August 27th, 2016