Meanwhile, the Daska police also claimed that Aftab had confessed kidnap of a 10-year-old boy from Hameed Colony for molesting him on Sept 30, 2009, but he could not commit the crime. — Photo by AP
SIALKOT The police claimed on Thursday to have arrested a youth who had been raping and molesting children for the last one year. He abducted and raped two young students in April last.

Regional Police Officer Zulfiqar Ahmad Cheema told a press conference at the Civil Rest House, Daska that the police had arrested Aftab whose DNA report had confirmed that he raped two students. Aftab is a resident of Daska's Kotli Daasu Singh village.

He said a police party, on a tip-off, raided a house a few days ago but the suspect made good his escape. The team again raided a den in Gujranwala suburbs and arrested Aftab who confessed to raping the students.

On April 20 last, Aftab had abducted a seven-year-old student in Mughalpura and raped her in fields and threw her near a deserted place near Gaga in a critical condition. Five days later, he committed the crime against a six-year-old resident of Hameed Colony.

After raping the girl at an outhouse near Pandoriyaan village, he threw the girl in fields near Chak Gilaan.

Meanwhile, the Daska police also claimed that Aftab had confessed kidnap of a 10-year-old boy from Hameed Colony for molesting him on Sept 30, 2009, but he could not commit the crime. On April 16, 2010, he molested a seven-year-old child after abducting him from Sohawa.

He also molested a nine-year-old resident of Hajipura (Sialkot city) and another child hailing from Sehjokala.

Lahore High Court Chief Justice Khwaja Muhammad Sharif had taken a suo motu notice of the rape incidents of students in Daska and ordered the police to arrest the perpetrator. On May 11, Chief Minister Shahbaz Sharif visited the grieved families and gave a 72-hour deadline to the Daska police to arrest the culprit(s).

The Daska police initially arrested Abdul Razzaq, a resident of Islampura, on the identification of a victim who was brought to the city from Mayo Hospital, Lahore by an ambulance. The police conducted a search operation by putting the girl on a stretcher. The DNA report proved Razzaq innocent. The Daska police released Razzaq on the orders of the LHC.

IGP Tariq Saleem Dogar had announced a cash prize of Rs1 million for those giving any information about the criminal.

SUO MOTU The chief justice disposed of a suo motu case against kidnapping, raping and killing of seven minor girls and boys in Daska when Sialkot Investigation SP Afzal Virk informed the court that suspect had been arrested. He said the DNA report of accused Aftab was also resulted positive. The CJ disposed of the case and directed the SP to ensure the submission of challan of the suspect before trial court in two weeks. Justice Sharif had taken suo motu notice on a news item appeared in an English daily that seven minor girls and boys had become the victim of rape after kidnapping in Daska in the last one-and-a-half month. Of them, two girls died and the others were hospitalised.

Also, the chief justice disposed of another suo motu case about two constables of Faisalabad who had stood a man barefooted on road that burnt his feet. Saddar SP Zulfiqar Ahmad said an FIR had been registered against the two police constables. He said victim Muhammad Shakeel had not joined investigation. Justice Sharif directed Shakeel to record his statement with the police.

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