A local magistrate court in Rawalpindi on Friday sent a suspect accused of kidnapping and sexually assaulting children in Punjab to jail for an identification parade.

According to Rawalpindi City Police Officer (CPO) Mohammad Faisal Rana, 29 cases were registered against the suspect in Punjab — 15 in Mianwali district, seven in Layyah district, two in Muzaffargarh, four in Rawalpindi and one in Islamabad.

Speaking to DawnNewsTV, CPO Rana said that CCTV footage had been used to identify the suspect and following a technical investigation, he was arrested from Adiala Road in Rawalpindi on Thursday night. After his arrest, the motorcycle used in the incidents was also recovered.

The police officer said that the suspect, who has been sent to jail on judicial remand where complainants and witnesses will be called for identification, had assaulted some children and attempted to assault others after kidnapping them. Rana added that the suspect used to kidnap 10 to 12-year-old girls and in a month he had kidnapped eight children. The children would then be dropped off in the vicinity of the area where they had been picked up.

CPO Rana said that the complainants of the cases against the suspect had been informed of his arrest and orders to register pending cases against him were also issued.

The police officer said that an example would be made of the suspect so that in the future, no one dared to commit such a "disgusting act against the daughters of the nation".

According to a Rawalpindi police spokesperson Baqir Hamdani, the suspect's arrest had become a top trend on social media.