Police in the southern Mirpur district of Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK) arrested a man on Sunday for allegedly attempting to rape his minor stepdaughter over two weeks ago, a police official said.

Rashid Habib Masoodi, a station house officer (SHO) in Dadyal, informed Dawn.com via telephone that the suspect, 35-year-old Arsalan, who was unemployed, attempted the assault on his seven-year-old stepdaughter around midday on July 15, while her mother was away from their home in Sihalia village.

Upon returning home, the girl’s mother learned of the incident from her daughter. However, the mother did not report the complaint to the police immediately due to threats from the suspect, who had warned her of severe consequences, including divorce, SHO Masoodi said.

He added that the situation escalated when the suspect continued violent and abusive behaviour and, last Wednesday, the mother confronted him, disclosing her intention to report his actions to the authorities.

Fearing arrest, the suspect went into hiding and could not be traced despite multiple raids at various locations.

However, acting on a tip-off on Sunday, the police finally successfully apprehended him in a suburban area of Dadyal, the SHO said.

The police officer said the suspect was a criminal-minded person and had been charged under section 377-A (iii) of the Azad Penal Code (APC), which stipulated: “Whoever attempts to commit an offence under sub-section (1) shall be punished with imprisonment which may extend to ten years but shall not be less than five years or fine which may extend to two million rupees but shall not be less than one million or with both.”

According to the FIR, a copy of which was obtained by Dawn.com, the suspect had a history of violent behaviour, frequently assaulting his wife and sexually abusing her daughters.

The complainant alleged that the suspect had previously attempted sexual assault on her elder daughter, aged nine, as well.

SHO Masoodi confirmed from records that the suspect had been charged in October last year under the same section of APC for attempting a sexual assault on his elder stepdaughter.

However, the SHO said he was granted bail after his wife settled with him during court proceedings, despite no legal provision for reconciliation in such cases.

Earlier this year, data compiled by Sahil showed that 11 children were abused every day in 2023, with mostly acquaintances and relatives involved in the heinous act.

The statistics were reported in ‘Cruel Numbers 2023,’ a signature publication of Sahil, an NGO working for the welfare of children, launched with the support of the National Commission for Human Rights (NCHR).

The report said that in 2023, a total number of 4,213 child abuse cases had been reported from all four provinces as well as the Islamabad Capital Territory (ICT), Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK), and Gilgit-Baltistan (GB).

Last month, A man was arrested for allegedly attempting to rape his 11-year-old niece in Punjab’s Mandi Bahauddin district.

Additionally, more than 40 separate cases of abduction and sexual violence against women were reported in the district in July.