Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK) Inspector General of Police (IGP) Rana Abdul Jabbar on Thursday ordered the arrest of a policeman booked for the alleged sexual harassment of a British-Kashmiri woman and constituted a team of senior officers to conduct a transparent investigation into the allegations.

According to a statement by the police department spokesperson, the IGP directed Poonch Deputy Inspector General of Police Chaudhry Sajjad to ensure a fair inquiry and personally oversee the case to its logical conclusion.

However, Thothal Station House Officer Chaudhry Imran Ahmed, who was suspended on Tuesday, had already obtained pre-arrest bail from the district court earlier today and subsequently went into hiding

The IGP ordered the police to locate and detain him without delay, the spokesperson said.

Demand of judicial inquiry

The woman rejected the police inquiry committee, insisting on a judicial investigation by a high court judge.

At a press conference in Mirpur, accompanied by Jammu Kashmir Joint Awami Action Committee (JKJAAC) leaders, she accused the police of pressuring her to withdraw the case to shield their colleague.

The woman claimed that Inspector Mehboob, posted at the Anti-Corruption Department, had also pressured her through various means, both in Pakistan and the UK, to forgive the suspect, citing his family responsibilities.

She demanded that a harassment case be filed against him as well, adding that she had already contacted the British High Commission due to concerns for her safety.

Detailing her ordeal, she said she had been struggling to reclaim possession of her property in Mirpur for the past four months. When she reached out to the police for assistance, SHO Ahmed responded by picking her up in his car instead of summoning her to the station, the woman said.

She alleged that instead of helping her, the SHO drove to a petrol station, where he began harassing her, and later took her to his residence at gunpoint, where he consumed alcohol and attempted to assault her.

In tears, she described the SHO as a “predator”, adding that she had never met him before. She claimed that she managed to escape, but not before he attempted to remove her veil and boasted about previous similar acts.

She said she had tried to contact a relative from the toilet but found there was no signal.

The woman expressed outrage that, despite providing recordings and other evidence, police deliberately weakened the first information report (FIR), excluding serious charges such as kidnapping, harassment, illegal weapon possession, alcohol consumption and religious desecration.

She also criticised Mirpur Senior Superintendent of Police Khawar Ali for what she called “disappointing conduct”, claiming that he deliberately weakened the case and even gave SHO Ahmed an opportunity to escape.

“Since I am not fluent in Urdu, my statement was not recorded in English, and I was misrepresented in the FIR,” she said.

“I never refused to cooperate with the police. I waited for eight days before going public due to their inaction.”

Rejecting efforts to discredit her by linking her to a drug mafia, she warned those defending the suspect to fear divine justice.

The JKJAAC leaders also strongly condemned the alleged incident, describing it as an unforgivable crime.

Endorsing the demand for a judicial inquiry by a high court judge, the SHO’s immediate arrest, the inclusion of all omitted charges in the FIR, legal action against Inspector Mehboob for alleged harassment and attempting to influence the victim, they warned that they would launch mass protests if justice was not served,

Meanwhile, the police spokesperson’s statement claimed that some local and overseas Kashmiris might be exploiting the case to settle personal rivalries and urged the public to allow police to conduct their investigation without interference.

“Rest assured, the serious charges against the inspector, along with the departmental inquiry, will be concluded promptly and fairly. The public will be kept fully informed about the case’s progress,” the statement said.