MARDAN: A teenager was stripped and paraded naked in the Nangabad village of Mardan district’s Palodehri area on Saturday after he allegedly attempted to sexually abuse another boy.

A photo of the naked boy tied to a tree and surrounded by the villagers was shared on social media before the police arrived and arrested him.

While an FIR was registered against the teenager at the Choora police station, the police did not register any case against the villagers who had stripped him, tied him up and posted his photo on social media.

DSP (Rural) Adnan Azeem, however, denied that the suspect had been physically tortured and stripped by the villagers. He said the area people caught him red-handed when he was molesting the other boy and handed him over to the Choora police.

An official at the Choora police station told Dawn that the FIR was registered under Sections 377 (unnatural offence), 511 (attempting an offence) and 377-A (sexual abuse) of the Pakistan Penal Code and Section 53 of the Child Protection and Welfare Act.

He said the 17-year-old victim claimed he was tending his cattle in the fields when he was attacked and an attempt was made to sexually abuse him. The boy received injuries and was admitted to a hospital, the official said, adding that a report of the victim’s medical examination was awaited to ascertain if the victim had been molested or it was an attempted offence.

Explaining that the police reached the crime scene after some time because the police station was far from the village, the official said the suspect had already been overpowered by the villagers. They rushed to the spot after hearing cries of the victim, the official added.

The police said the suspect was not a juvenile offender. They said he was 18 though he appeared to be below 18 years in the photo.

Published in Dawn, August 26th, 2018