Two suspects have been arrested in connection with an alleged gang rape on the Faisalabad motorway earlier this week, police said on Friday.

Despite the presence of anti-rape laws — with punishment for rape either resulting in the death penalty or imprisonment of between 10 and 25 years — cases continue to prevail in the country.

According to a press release from the Faisalabad Police spokesperson, the victim and her husband were going to their home in Chak No 62 JB Chanan when they were stopped by three unidentified suspects, near the motorway bridge in the vicinity of Sandar Bar Police Station, who allegedly raped her at gunpoint and stole her husband’s mobile phone.

It added that several senior police officials had immediately reached the spot upon being alerted by the husband.

It said a team of the Punjab Forensic Science Agency team collected evidence from the scene and a case was subsequently registered against the three suspects under Sections 375 (rape) and 392 (punishment for robbery) of the Pakistan Penal Code at Sandal Bar Police Station.

However, the first information report was filed under Section 375A (gang rape), not Section 375.

According to the press release, City Police Officer (CPO) Sahibzada Bilal Omer dispatched arrest teams to trace the suspects. It added that using modern resources and working day and night, they traced the first suspect who revealed during the investigation that he was accompanied by two others.

On Friday, a spokesperson for CPO Omer said in a statement that a second suspect was arrested within the limits of Sandal Bar Police Station.

“A team was formed under the leadership of SP Iqbal Division Abad Zafar on the instructions of the CPO,” the statement read.

“Sandal Bar SHO Shakib Butt took action and arrested the second suspect involved in the incident. Police recovered the mobile phone stolen during the incident,” the statement added.

CPO Omer said that the protection of thee public’s life and property was the top priority of the Faisalabad Police. “The arrested suspects will be punished as per the law,” he said.

Addressing a press conference in Lahore on the matter, Punjab Information Minister Azma Bokhari said that violence against women and children would not be tolerated under the current provincial government.

“When she (Punjab Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz) said: ‘Violence against women and children is my red line’, those weren’t just words.

“Yesterday, after the Faisalabad incident I can say … the chief minister did not rest until that suspect was arrested,” the minister added. “She monitored the operation personally and the suspect was arrested within several hours.”

Later in the day, Punjab Inspector General of Police (IG) Usman Anwar and other senior police officials visited the victim and her family on the chief minister’s instructions.

He conveyed CM Maryam’s message of sympathy and solidarity to the affected family and assured them of providing complete justice and holding the suspects to account.

“On the instructions of Punjab CM, Faisalabad Police took timely action and arrested the main suspect within a few hours. Punjab IG Dr Usman Anwar said that according to the vision of Punjab CM Maryam Nawaz Sharif, there is a zero-tolerance policy on rape, violence and harassment of women,” a statement said.

Earlier this week, the Punjab Police arrested three suspects for allegedly gang-raping a woman in Lahore.

“The suspects were arrested within 2 hours of being reported,” the police had said, adding that three were arrested while raids were underway to apprehend the fourth suspect.

A case was registered against the suspects under Section 375A of the PPC, at Chung Police Station.