LAHORE: The Nawab Town police arrested a rickshaw driver and his accomplice on Monday hours after they allegedly raped a woman and her teenage daughter in fields in the area of Chuhng police.

The rickshaw driver had a history of sexually assaulting women.

Capital City Police Officer (CCPO) Ghulam Mahmood Dogar and Investigation DIG Shariq Jamal told a press conference the woman and her daughter got down a bus at Thokar Niaz Beg at 10:30am on Sunday from Vehari and they hired a rickshaw to reach their relatives residing in the Cantonment area of Lahore.

The two suspects picked them to drop them at the residence of the woman’s sister. While traveling, the woman told the rickshaw driver that she was in the town to get ration from her relatives.

The driver and his accomplice lured them into the “ration amounts from a rich man” and took them to a deserted area of Abdul Sattar Edhi Road where they raped them in fields and hurled dire consequences for raising alarm. Both later fled the scene, leaving the rickshaw at the spot when they noticed a car was coming to the crime scene.

The alleged rapists also snatched Rs5,000 and a mobile phone from the women.

The matter was later reported to the police and soon the DIG investigation and the Saddar SP supervised the case.

Mr Dogar said the accused persons also tried to strangle them when the women raised an alarm for help.

The CCPO said the rickshaw driver had a criminal record of raping women and cases were lodged against him with police stations of Nawab Town, Lahore, and Haveli Lakha, Okara.

A rape case was registered against both the arrested persons.

Published in Dawn, August 24th, 2021