PESHAWAR, Aug 18: A 20-year-old married woman has been sexually assaulted at gunpoint by two persons in Danishabad locality, her husband told Dawn here on Wednesday.

Mohammad Ashraf, a baker, alleged that Aftab and his accomplice, Javed, scaled the wall of his oneroom house on Aug 13 when he was not at home and raped his wife.

Police registered a case against the accused on Wednesday, despite the fact that Mr Ashraf had gone to the Pishtakhara police station and lodged a complaint on Saturday. During the last four days, the police tried to force the victim and her husband to patch up with the family of Aftab, who had confessed having committed the crime. But Aftab denied that he had gone to Ashraf's house along with his accomplice.

Interestingly, the police did not arrest him and he himself surrendered to police on Wednesday morning. The police on Saturday was reported to have got the signature of Ashraf on a paper, in which it was written that Ashraf and Aftab had quarrelled following the teasing of the woman.

"No, I was told by a policeman to sign the complaint paper. I don't know what was written on it as I was in a state of shock over the incident," Mr Ashraf said. He alleged that Aftab's father had come to him thrice, accompanied by local elders, and offered money in return for not pursuing the case. He was also warned of dire consequences if the case went against the accused.

"We were investigating the case and that is why it took four days to register the FIR," said Bashir Khan, who was working as acting SHO when the victim and her husband came to lodge the complaint.

"The police forced to accept a patch-up and get the money for the humiliation I suffered at the hands of the two persons," the woman alleged. She claimed that two persons had come to her home at around 11:30pm and raped her at gunpoint. One of them, she said, had covered his face with a piece of cloth. She said that she remembered that he was called 'Javed' by the other person.

She further said that when her husband reached home she informed him of the incident. Later, her husband brought Aftab for recognition whom she could never forget for the crime he had committed, she added.

She also accused Aftab and Javed of taking away her jewellery, Rs10,000 cash and a tape-recorder. Ashraf said that Aftab was drunk when he came to his Tandoor that evening and seeing him busy in work, he went to his home.

He said that he got married three months back to the woman, who was a widow and had a child. They shifted to the Danishabad locality three weeks ago. However, the officer in charge had labelled the rape victim in the FIR as "a woman of bad character".

HRCP official Jameela Gillani, who went to the victim's house on Wednesday, said: "It seems that the police is intentionally giving a twist to the rape case." She said one would like to know how the police was able to ascertain the character of a housewife who had lived in the locality for only three weeks.