LAHORE: The Organised Crime Unit (OCU) of Lahore police on Thursday arrested a woman TikToker who had claimed to be the mother of the alleged ‘rape victim’ of Punjab College.

She was arrested on charges of making a false claim and inciting public sentiment against the government authorities, urging the people to mobilise for street demonstrations.

The OCU Model Town police acted following a case lodged against her with the Gulberg police station after the woman, Sara Khan, recorded a TikTok video and uploaded it on the social media which went viral, creating another round of controversy over the alleged rape case as the matter was already in the limelight, provoking the students for violent agitation.

OCU DIG Imran Kishwar told Dawn that a special police team arrested the woman on Thursday when she went to Lahore High Court to get bail in another case lodged against her by the cyber crime wing of the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA).

He said the police teams were in search of the TikToker following a case registered against her on the complaint of Gulberg police sub-inspector Mohammad Imran under the Prevention of Electronic Crimes (PECA) Act, 2016 and other charges. He said as Sara Khan was nominated in the FIR after the controversial video disseminated rapidly across social media platforms, showcasing the anonymous woman who posited an alarming assertion that the female student from the Punjab College, who allegedly fell victim to a heinous act of sexual assault, was her daughter.

During the investigation process, the DIG said, the woman was ascertained to be Sara Khan, a resident of Karachi with her permanent address in Multan.

Following the sensitivity of the matter, the Punjab government had formed a Joint Investigation Team (JIT) to conduct the probe.

Model Town OCU SP Aftab Phularwan was the convener of the JIT while other members included DSP Faisal Shareef, woman inspector Fiza and one each representative from Intelligence Bureau and FIA.

Mr Kishwar said the arrested TikToker has been handed over to the JIT for further investigation.

Published in Dawn, November 1st, 2024

Opinion

Editorial

Going dry
Updated 07 Apr, 2025

Going dry

Authorities should refrain from undertaking any water scheme that infringes on rights of any federating unit to avoid more controversies.
Afghan return
07 Apr, 2025

Afghan return

AS expected, the government of Pakistan is moving ahead with its plan to forcibly repatriate Afghan Citizenship Card...
Hurting women
07 Apr, 2025

Hurting women

MONTH after month, the figures of crimes against women in the country indicate that our society is close to...
Not cricket
Updated 06 Apr, 2025

Not cricket

It is high time that the PCB sets things right; even if it demands a complete overhaul of the system.
Balochistan deadlock
Updated 06 Apr, 2025

Balochistan deadlock

Akhtar Mengal’s demands to release women activists should seriously be considered.
Escalating brutality
Updated 06 Apr, 2025

Escalating brutality

The world’s patience is running out. Israel must be held accountable under international law for war crimes.