An eight-year-old boy has allegedly been raped by a labourer on Monday night in Jhelum district, police reported on Tuesday.

Masood Ahmed, the investigation officer of the case, told DawnNews that police have arrested the suspect and lodged a case against him.

The official said an uncle of the victim approached police and claimed that a labourer who was working at an under construction building nearby subjected his nephew to sexual abuse on the roof of that building.

According to police, the suspect managed to flee after locals rushed to the scene in response to the hue and cry of the victim.

Saddar police station SHO Ghulam Abbas Shah told DawnNews that initial medical examination of the victim confirmed the rape. Moreover, the DNA sample of the suspect has been taken which would be sent for a DNA test, he added.

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.