FAISALABAD, Aug 22: Two daughters and a daughter-in-law of a retired army man were allegedly raped by a 13-member robber gang in Baloachni police precincts, some 35 kilometres from here, on Wednesday.

When people visited police to lodge a case, Station House Officer (SHO) Shahid Malik told them to come the next day because he had not slept for two nights and wanted to sleep.

The SHO’s reply provoked the people, who staged a protest demonstration and blocked Sheikhupura Road for hours.

The protesters, who also carried one of the victim girls with them on a cart, demanded registration of a rape case, immediate arrest of the culprits and action against the SHO.

Earlier, robbers barged into the house of Jamat Ali in Chak 90-RB of Jaranwala’s Chitti area and held the family hostage. They tied all family members and looted cash, gold ornaments and other valuables. Later, they tortured the family and raped two sisters and their sister-in-law and fled.

People from his own village and nearby villages reached Ali’s house minutes after the incident. The SHO, according to witnesses this correspondent talked to, also visited the scene and told Ali to keep silent on the rape issue and only file an application for the registration of a robbery case.

Sources said the SHO deceived his seniors by hiding facts. He told them that there happened nothing more than a robbery at Ali’s house. They said that the SHO came to know about the incident only after protesting people blocked the road.

Later, complainant Ali changed his statement and denied that robbers had raped his two daughters and a daughter-in-law. But locals said that Ali’s family had been openly telling them (soon after the incident) that the girls had been raped. They said police had made Ali to change the statement.

Deputy Inspector General (Operations) Aslam Tareen said the SHO had been suspended and the robbery case had been registered. However, he denied that the girls had been raped. He said that police had been directed to investigate the incident.