MULTAN: Police claim to have killed one of the four robbers in an encounter who allegedly raped a bride in front of her husband on May 26 in Shujabad.

According to an official handout, a police encounter took place near Preshan Chowk of Basti Malook and where Abid Hussain alias Abidi was killed in firing by his own colleagues.

It stated that Basti Malook police arrested a suspect on a picket at Chak 7, Wali Pulli, and recovered a weapon and a motorcycle looted during a dacoity. The suspect was identified as Abidi.

“The accused was being taken for more recovery when some of his accomplices attacked the police team to get him released and opened fire. During the crossfire, Abidi was killed because of the firing of his own colleagues while his colleagues succeeded to escape,” it stated.

It claimed the deceased was involved in more than 40 cases of dacoity, murder, robbery, rape during robbery and theft.

“He was also involved in a robbery-cum-murder case in which a bride was raped on the first night of her marriage in Haji Shahwala area of City police station, Shujabad, while the deceased was also involved in a case of rape during a robbery in the area of Muzaffarabad police in 2020. Raids are being conducted to arrest the remaining accused after lodging the FIR,” it stated.

The police said in 2020, a mother of four was raped during a robbery.

They said when the bride was raped in Shujabad and sketches of the robbers were made, the sketch of Abidi matched, over which the police took his father into custody from Shujabad who informed the police that Abidi was in Shorkot. They said the police conducted a raid in Shorkot but failed to arrest him; however, now he was arrested in Shujabad.

They said the arrested suspect was presented before the rape survivor for identification and after her confirmation, some gold ornaments which were looted from the victim were also recovered from him.

The family told the local media that the wedding procession left the bride’s house located in Lodhran at about 4pm on May 26 and reached the residence of the bridegroom at Mochipura at 6pm.

They said at 3am, four people, three of them in police uniform came there and said a stock of liquor was present in the house. The family said the suspects held the family hostage at gunpoint for two hours and gang-raped the bride.

The family said the suspects tortured the couple on offering resistance and made off with five tola gold and Rs125,000. After the receipt of information, the police shifted the couple to the hospital and medical report confirmed the rape.

Published in Dawn, June 12th, 2021