MUZAFFARGARH: The first case under the Anti-Rape Act in Punjab has been registered at the Muzaffargarh city police, where a woman initially filed a case against an accused for rape but later retracted her statement in court.

According to police, Aqsa Ishtiaq testified in favour of the rape suspect in the court of additional district and sessions judge and declared him innocent. Subsequently, a case was registered against her under the provisions of the Anti-Rape Act of 2021.

Earlier, she had also recorded statements against the suspect before the medical officer and the area magistrate in connection with the rape case.

According to the first information report, the woman lodged a rape complaint against the suspect at the civil lines police. The suspect obtained pre-arrest bail from the court, while the case landed before a local magistrate where Aqsa recorded a statement against the suspect.

Later, she underwent a medical examination at the district headquarters hospital. On the day of the pre-arrest bail hearing, the police presented solid evidence against the suspect. However, the complainant retracted her statement and testified in favour of the suspect in the court of Additional Sessions Judge Tahir Khalil, who confirmed the bail. Following this, the police registered a case against Aqsa for providing false information and registered a case against her under section 22(2A-B) of the Anti-Rape Act of 2021 and Section 213 of the Pakistan Penal Code (PPC).

CASE RESOLVED: Police solved a blind murder and robbery case and arrested the alleged killers on Wednesday.

The killers turned out to be none other than the victim’s nephews, who murdered Ali Hassan on Dec 17, 2024.

Sanawan DSP Muhammad Akbar said the suspects attempted to disguise the murder as a robbery and fled with Rs1.7 million.

The police said Ali was killed in Sanawan after selling land worth Rs1.9 million. The perpetrators took the cash and killed him.

His son Ghulam Mustafa approached the Sanawan police and registered a case against unidentified suspects under sections 302, 392, 34, and 411 of the PPC.

Police said the suspects had plotted to murder their uncle by luring him to Bahawalpur under the pretext of handing over the land payment.

CHILD CRUELTY: A man allegedly threw hot milk on his 7-year-old daughter and locked his wife in a room during a domestic dispute in the Rohillanwali area. The girl suffered severe burns due to the scalding milk.

According to the police, a case was registered at Rohillanwali police station, and the suspect’s brother has been arrested while raids are underway to apprehend the main suspect.

Shehzad threw hot milk on his daughter, Khadija Bibi, following a domestic altercation. The girl sustained burns in the incident, and the suspect also physically assaulted his wife, Bushra.

Both the woman and her daughter were shifted to Muzaffargarh DHQ Hospital.

Published in Dawn, February 6th, 2025