HARIPUR: A man has sexually assaulted a minor girl in the limits of Shah Maqsood union council, police and hospital sources said here on Thursday.

The criminal act has been proved during initial medical findings, trauma centre sources here said.

One Ghafoor, a resident of Shah Maqsood, told the police on Wednesday night that his daughter, 9, was returning after Asar prayer to their house in the same locality after studying holy Quran.

He alleged that on the way Shahid alias Sher Khan from the same village forcibly dragged her into the orchard and molested her.

He said that the suspect fled the scene leaving the victim unconscious. He said that when his daughter did not return home he and his other family members started search and found her lying unconscious in the orchard.

The girl was taken to the Trauma Centre, Haripur, where according to doctors her neck and body carried biting marks and the initial medical examination had proved the offence of rape.

The victim was admitted for treatment in the local hospital and a case under sections 376 of PPC and 53 of Child Protection Act has been registered in the Sera-e-Saleh police station.

Meanwhile, Sera-i-Saleh police SHO, Ehjaz Khan, claimed that they had arrested the suspect Sher Khan.

It may be added that a teenage girl kidnapped from Havelian area of Abbottabad district was allegedly gang-raped by three persons in the limits of Shah Maqsood police post on Sept 25 and the police are yet to arrest the accused.

Published in Dawn, October 15th, 2021