ISLAMABAD: Three brothers, arrested for allegedly raping their sister, were taken to Adiala jail on Thursday.

A senior police officer told Dawn one of the suspects is a religious scholar who also delivered sermons online. He is alleged to have raped the victim at a religious seminary on Friday. The other two suspects are labourers.

The officer said the victim is 15 years old, while the suspects are between the ages of 22 and 30. He said the suspects threatened the victim and told her to keep quiet in the name of the holy book.

Police say doctors and local elders confirmed the suspects had confessed

The officer said the family consists of five brothers and four sisters who are from Bannu and have been living in Golra for a couple of years. The victim, younger among the siblings, had been living with her brothers after her parents died.

Golra SHO Inspector Arshad Ali said the suspects were produced in court on Thursday and sent to Adiala on a judicial remand.

A civil court also ordered for the victim to be shifted to a protection centre until further orders, he said.

The SHO said the police were approached by a friend of the victim’s late father, a doctor.

The police then visited his clinic and took a statement from the victim.

Inspector Ali said doctors and local elders present at the clinic also told the police they had confronted the suspects with the victim’s allegation and they had confessed. A case was registered against the suspects and they were arrested soon after, he said.

The SHO said the suspects had also confessed during the three-day physical remand, and confirmed that they were sent to Adiala jail on Thursday after being produced in court.

According to the FIR, the victim was living with her brothers after their parents died. She was first raped by one of the suspects two years ago, who continued to assault her for two weeks afterwards.

She was then sexually assaulted three times by another suspect weeks later, and then by a third at a religious seminary.

The FIR said that at her request she was taken to a religious seminary, and when she returned to Golra she stayed at a shrine for four days and fell ill.

She visited her father’s friend for treatment, where she was asked about her disappearance, and told him about her ordeal.

Published in Dawn, March 29th, 2019