The police launched an investigation on Tuesday against the principal of a private school in Karachi’s Gulshan-i-Hadeed who was arrested a day ago on allegations of raping and blackmailing women.

Steel Town Station house Officer (SHO) Nand Lal on Monday had told Dawn.com that the principal was arrested after videos of the alleged rapes had gone viral on social media and shared on Whatsapp groups.

He had said that the detained suspect “confessed” to having raped women in the school after luring them with the prospect of a job in the school and making their videos to blackmail them.

The SHO had said that a technician, identified as Ali Lodhi, came across the videos while repairing CCTV cameras installed at the school. These videos were uploaded on social media platforms and then another person, identified as Shakeel, contacted the principal and asked him to pay Rs1 million as extortion, Lal had added.

Today, Malir Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP) (Investigation) Ali Mardan Khoso told Dawn.com that the suspect was in police custody after the authorities secured his physical remand and an investigation was under way.

He said the initial probe revealed that it was an “individual act” and no group was involved.

During the preliminary inquiry, Khoso said the suspect claimed that the female victims were not associated with his institution as teachers or employees but acknowledged having “personal relations” with them. “He also expressed remorse for his actions,” the officer added.

Regarding Lodhi and Shakeel’s potential involvement, SSP Khoso explained their precise role would be ascertained after a comprehensive investigation, adding that the two were so far not in detention for interrogation.

In a separate statement, Malir Senior Superintendent of Police Hassan Sardar informed the media that an investigative team led by a deputy superintendent of police (DSP) was formed specifically for this case.

The team also included a female inspector to ensure that female victims could provide their statements comfortably and without hesitation during the investigation process, the SSP added.

FIR registered

The Steel Town police had filed the first information report (FIR) against the school principal on the complaint of Assistant Sub-Inspector (ASI) Aftab Husain a day ago under Sections 376 (punishment for rape), 506 (punishment for criminal intimidation) and 509 (sexual harassment) of the Pakistan Penal Code, along with Section 25 of the Telegraph Act.

According to the FIR, ASI Husain reported that he and his fellow police officers were on duty in the area when they learnt about videos circulating on social media.

The videos were brought to their attention by “special informants” who identified the individual in the viral videos as Irfan Memon, the owner of IGM School in Gulshan-i-Hadeed’s Phase-II, the FIR added.

It further stated that the suspect was observed in the videos engaging in sexual activities with different women. Subsequently, the police proceeded to the school and apprehended the suspect, seizing his cell phone for investigative purposes, the FIR said.