The Islamabad police on Tuesday claimed the Margalla Hills rape incident was a “false story” borne out of personal enmity.

The Islamabad police had registered a first information report (FIR) on Friday of the alleged rape of a woman at one of the hiking trails of the capital’s Margalla Hills. The police had said on Sunday they had arrested the suspect involved in the incident.

In a statement released today, the police said the suspect had a quarrel with his colleague who then contacted a group to take revenge.

The colleague contacted a member of the group, a resident of Rawalpindi, to “falsely accuse [the suspect] of rape”.

It added that a member of that group then contacted the purported Sheikhupura-based victim and the two “formed a plan about a rape drama” involving the suspect.

“According to the plan, [the victim] had to take the suspect and go to Trail 3. On Trail 3, [the victim] had to pretend being raped and scream. Meanwhile, the rest of the group had to reach the spot and make videos.

“The suspect and his family were to be blackmailed and extorted by making videos. The victim had a meeting with the accused at Trail 3 but her partners could not reach the spot. The victim went back to Rawalpindi with the suspect after a long wait.

“After that, she lodged an FIR in the police station and went back to Sheikhupura. The police investigated the matter from every angle,” the statement read.

It added that the purported victim “told all the facts and the plan in front of the magistrate” when she was called to the police station.

“This is a group that blackmails people by deceiving them and extorting money from them.”

The police said that two cases were registered against the purported victim in Sheikhupura and Muridke while one of the group members had a previous criminal record.

“A campaign was launched on social media regarding this case while the case was under investigation.

“Citizens are requested not to believe in rumours until the final report of the police. Such a campaign could affect the police investigation which would benefit the culprits. Islamabad Capital Police is responsible for the protection of the life and property of every citizen,” the statement said.

Salman Sufi, who heads the Prime Minister’s Strategic Reforms Unit, also confirmed the Islamabad police’s account and called the rape case a “hoax”, adding that it was a “lie and fabrication”.

“Another example of how social media is used to spread fake news and create panic.

“Many accounts had tweeted about the fake news of alleged rape on Margalla Hills,” he tweeted and urged people to exercise caution while spreading unverified news.

On Saturday, the Islamabad police had said that they were investigating the incident “on merit” and claimed that according to the victim’s medical report, “evidence of assault was not found”.

The police had also claimed that there was a “friendship between the victim and the suspect”.

“The plaintiff (victim) is reluctant to cooperate with the police and has not provided the suspect’s details,” the police had said.