SHOCKING details about a series of assaults, reportedly committed at a Karachi school, point to the ugly fact that sexual predators often operate in society while hiding behind the veneer of ‘respectability’. According to police, the owner/principal of a school located in the metropolis’s Gulshan-i-Hadeed area is accused of assaulting numerous women, and filming the crimes to blackmail the victims. The suspect would allegedly lure the women by offering them employment and then assault them. Some reports say up to 45 women may have been assaulted, while five victims have confirmed they were raped by the individual. Police say incriminating video clips have been recovered from the suspect’s phone. The scandal surfaced after a technician repairing CCTV cameras at the school discovered the videos, which were later uploaded on social media by the worker’s associate. This crime bears disturbing similarities to the Islamia University Bahawalpur sex and drugs scandal that broke a few months ago. Officials of the varsity have been accused by police of providing drugs to students, while also making obscene videos of female teachers and students. The IUB matter is currently being probed by a tribunal.

It is a matter of concern that none of the staffers of the Karachi school, members of the local community or police officials were aware of the crimes being committed on the premises. It needs to be probed whether the suspect was acting alone, or was abetted by others in this monstrous crime. If found guilty, this individual deserves the maximum punishment under the law. Female police officers need to be involved in the case so that the victims can record evidence with ease. Unfortunately, there are far too many such cases being reported countrywide, particularly involving technology and the uploading of obscene content online to blackmail girls and women. The FIA and other law-enforcement agencies need to actively pursue such predators, so that they are unable to destroy lives.

Published in Dawn, September 7th, 2023