A 10-year-old girl was raped on January 15 in Jund area of Attock district, allegedly by her 30-year-old paternal cousin, DawnNews reported on Wednesday.

Victim’s mother Zainab Bibi told DawnNews that 30-year-old Zaafran tried grooming her daughter, who turned down his advances, at which he threatened her with dire consequences.

The mother alleged that the suspect abducted the victim when she was returning home from school, took her to his residence and sexually abused her. When the victim's condition deteriorated, the accused dumped her near her home and fled.

The complainant said Zaafran had earlier subjected her other daughter to sexual abuse. She also said that her husband is a man of little means while the accused is an influential person who had also been threatening to kill them, which is what kept them from reporting either of the incidents.

However, she later told DawnNews that the recent arrest of Imran Ali — the sole accused in brutal rape and killing of the young Zainab in Kasur — encouraged her to contact the police, which then registered a first-information report (FIR) against the accused.

The case's investigation officer, Assistant sub-inspector (ASI) Altaf Ahmed, said a medical examination of the victim has been conducted, although a report has yet to be finalised.

The ASI said the accused fled as soon as he found out that a case had been registered against him. Ahmed said raids were being conducted and the accused's mobile phone record was also obtained to ensure his swift apprehension.

Teenage boy's rape in Rawalpindi: Police arrests second suspect

The second of two alleged rapists of a teenage boy was arrested on Wednesday from a house on Rawalpindi's Chakri Road, days after police took another suspect into custody.

The 14-year-old son of an Imam at a local mosque was heading to the seminary for Quran lessons last Friday when he was allegedly abducted and raped in a nearby field by two youths at gunpoint.

Following the incident, a first-information report (FIR) was registered against two named suspects. According to the FIR, the suspects had threatened to kill the victim if he resisted. They had also recorded video footage of the alleged assault.

The victim's father earlier said that the suspects had blackmailed the family, saying they would release the video if a compromise was not reached.

The suspect arrested today is a relative of a Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf leader, according to police, who produced him in court seeking his remand.

A medico-legal examination of the victim was conducted earlier, the results of which are yet to be released. The examination report will allow authorities to confirm whether or not the boy was raped.

Since the beginning of 2018, there has been a marked upsurge in the reporting of sexual abuse cases across Pakistan. The brutal rape and murder of Zainab Ansari in Kasur earlier this month in particular shocked the entire country, with #JusticeforZainab becoming the rallying cry in a nationwide drive to end violence against children.