A security guard who allegedly raped a student at a private college in Lahore has been arrested after news related to the incident went viral on social media, police said on Sunday.

A statement from the spokesperson for Deputy Inspector General (Operations) Faisal Karman said a special team was formed to apprehend the suspect and probe the matter further as soon as unconfirmed reports about the incident began circulating on social media.

A first information report (FIR) related to the incident has not yet been registered.

“The victim and her family have not yet come forward,” DIG Kamran was quoted as saying in the statement. “Further action will be taken if the affected girl or her parents lodge a complaint.”

The statement added that neither the relevant police station, 15 police helpline, nor the college administration received any report of the incident.

The spokesperson suggested that the unconfirmed reports on social media may be an attempt to “damage the reputation of the college”, requesting that the public refrain from commenting on social media until the facts are revealed.

“The suspect is being interrogated to verify the social media news,” the statement added. “However, despite the incident going viral on social media, no evidence has yet emerged regarding the incident.”

“Perpetrators of heinous crimes do not rest until they are caught,” the DIG said, adding that he is following the Punjab Government’s “zero-tolerance” policy against violent crime.

Kamran added that the college administration was “cooperating with the police” regarding the incident and has requested the matter be investigated.

According to reports, students will stage a protest outside the college at 2pm on Monday (tomorrow).

Earlier this year, a 2023 report released by the Sustainable Social Development Organisation revealed that throughout the year, up to 10,201 cases of violence against women were registered under section 354 (assault or criminal force to woman with intent to outrage her modesty) and 509 (word, gesture or act intended to insult the modesty of a woman) of the Pakistan Penal Code (PPC).

This was a 14.5 per cent increase from the 8,787 cases reported in 2022.

Lahore saw 1,464 cases, followed by Sheikhupura 1,198 and Kasur 877 cases. The report stated that on average, 28 women faced some form of violence every day in Punjab in 2023.

A total of 6,624 rape cases were registered in 2023, meaning that one woman was raped every 45 minutes, the report said. Faisalabad topped the list with 728 cases, followed by Lahore (721) and Sargodha (398).

Up to 626 women were kidnapped, 120 were killed in the name of honour, and 20 were trafficked in 2023. Lahore, Faisalabad and Rahim Yar Khan were among the hot spot districts for these crimes.