PESHAWAR: A nine-year-old boy was raped allegedly by a relative in Hashtnagri area here on Thursday, police said.

The victim was brought to Lady Reading Hospital, Peshawar in a critical condition, and is now recovering.

The incident took place in Peshawar's Hussainia Mohalla, within the jurisdiction of Hashtnagri Police Station.

A First-Information Report was registered against a suspect, who the boy claimed was his relative.

Read: Senate passes law to criminalise child sexual abuse

The victim told police he was playing in his neighbourhood when his relative called him inside his house. After the boy went inside, the suspect subjected him to rape.

Police raided the alleged rapist's house late in the night, only to discover that he managed to flee.

Medical examination of the victim was underway, said the police.

A report launched by the Society for the Protection of the Rights of the Child earlier this month stated that 10 cases of child sexual abuse took place every day in the country in the year 2015. Meanwhile, nine people were executed for rape in Pakistan between January and May 2015.