Man arrested for exposing himself, sexually harassing girls in Lahore
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Lahore police have arrested a man who chased a group of girls and sexually harassed them on the road earlier this week, it emerged on Saturday.
The action was taken after a social media user on Thursday described the ordeal she and her friends went through in a series of tweets.
The girl, who is a student, stated that she was returning home along with a group of girls while travelling in a motorcycle rickshaw when a man on a motorcycle started chasing them on Raiwind Road.
After coming as close to the rickshaw as possible, the suspect started exposing himself to the girls, the tweet said.
The girl said she then took out her cellphone and captured photos of the harasser and his motorcycle's number plate. "This is the kind of society where girls are afraid to go out. We have to stand against such behaviour," the text accompanying the photos on Twitter said.
Taking notice of the girl's account, Capital City Police Officer (CCPO) BA Nasir ordered immediate action against the suspect. In the photos posted on social media, the suspect was seen wearing a helmet but his motorcycle number was clearly legible.
On directions of the CCPO, a special police team lead by Saddar Superintendent of Police (SP) Ahsan Saifullah started an investigation and apprehended the suspect in a matter of hours after using the lead from the video and photos posted by the victims. A case was registered against him under Sections 294 (obscene acts and songs in public) and 268 (public nuisance) of the Pakistan Penal Code.
The victims complained that the suspect made derogatory comments and attempted to harass them sexually.
According to police, the suspect is an engineer and a Hafiz-e-Quran who led Taraweeh prayers in Ramazan. Police said the man has been accused of committing similar offences in the past well. When called up by police, his family said they were not aware of his behaviour.
Following the arrest of the suspect, social media users lauded the Lahore police and the CCPO for their prompt action.
"This act of yours has established some trust in Punjab Police," wrote one netizen.
Another tweet read: "A win for all of us; [especially] for all those girls who are harassed almost every other day and raise voices! Thank you@CCPO."
The CCPO while appreciating the performance of SP Saifullah warned rogue elements that the harassment of women would not be tolerated. "Anyone who tries to harass women will be sent to jail. Lahore police have once again earned the trust of the public," said BA Nasir.
