KARACHI: No breakthrough has been achieved so far by police in the manhunt for the unknown predator, who had harassed a woman in a street of Gulistan-i-Jauhar by exposing himself and trying to grope her.

“A police team has been working on it for the last 24 hours but no concrete progress has been achieved so far even in ascertaining the suspect’s identify,” said Sharea Faisal SP Zafar Siddique Chaanga.

The team members are interrogating the private security guards, house servants (who were present in the locality that day). They are also interacting with motorcyclists in Block-4 of Gulistan-i-Jauhar, where the incident had taken place on Monday at 11am in the main street.

SP Chaanga said that the investigators had interviewed some women who worked as domestic help in bungalows within the locality.

Police interrogate guards, servants and residents of the locality to ascertain identity of suspect and victim

He said that during the initial probe, it transpired that the victim woman worked as a domestic help in some houses in the same area.

The police also visited four houses in the locality and met some bike-riders to get some clue to the suspect and the victim.

The officer said although they were sure that the victim worked in the same neighbourhood, no one yet from the locality came forward to provide any information about the victim.

The officer expressed the hope that in a day or two, they would be able to make some progress in the matter.

Replying to a question, the SP said that so far no FIR was registered at the Gulistan-i-Jauhar police station as the police were waiting for the victim to approach them with her complaint for legal proceedings.

A video of the incident had gone viral on the social media on Monday prompting the higher authorities to take its notice.

The video showed that a woman in hijab was walking down the street when a young masked man riding a motorbike without any number plate tried to sexually assault her.

The young man, who was described by Gulistan-i-Jauhar SHO Iftikhar Arain as ‘burger child’, took off his shorts, ran after the woman and tried to grope her but she put up stiff resistance forcing the suspect to step back and ride away.

Chief Minister Syed Murad Ali Shah took serious notice of the ‘shameful act’ and directed the Sindh IGP and Karachi AIGP to ensure immediate arrest of the culprit and deal with him strictly according to law.

Published in Dawn, July 7th, 2023