BAHAWALNAGAR: The Fort Abbas police have registered a case against three men on the charges of raping a divorced woman at gunpoint.

The woman, along with her family, had earlier moved away from her native town after getting rape threats by an influential landlord.

Five women including two teenage Hindu sisters and a minor girl have been assaulted in four incidents in the Fort Abbas police jurisdiction within a week.

According to the FIR registered with the Fort Abbas police station, a 22-year-old resident of Chak 185/7R was living with her parents after getting divorce about two years ago. However, the family left the village and migrated to another village 228/9R when suspects started harassing her, it said.

On June 11, the victim’s brothers were working in their fields and she was alone at home when three men barged into her house where one of them raped her.

They fled brandishing weapons when the victim’s brothers returned on hearing her hue and cry. The woman was shifted to the THQ hospital from where doctors referred her to the Bahawal Victoria Hospital of Bahawalpur.

The indigent family treated the victim at home because they could not bear the travel expenses. The family decided to approach police after the victim’s condition improved a bit, the FIR said. Police said no arrest had been made in this case so far.

In another case, a resident of Chak 262/HR in his written complaint registered with the Fort Abbas police on June 12 alleged that a youth lured his eight-year-old daughter to a cattle farm on June 8 where he tried to assault her.

The suspect fled when passersby reached the scene after hearing cries of the girl.

He was arrested a day after the incident. The FIR claimed that notables of the area intervened and stopped the victim’s father from lodging a police complaint.

On June 7, a resident of Liaquat Chowk, Fort Abbas, raped a 25-year-old woman and fled. The suspect was later arrested, police said.

In another such incident, two teenage Hindu sisters of Chak 281/HR were raped by two youths on June 5 when they left their home for some chore.

Notables used their influence to prevent the victims’ family from taking police action, however, a case was registered about 36 hours later when the victim’s father approached police.

Published in Dawn, June 16th, 2022