Kashmore police claim main suspect in gang-rape case killed by accomplice

SUKKUR: Police in Larkana said late Friday evening the prime suspect in the Kashmore gang-rape — wherein a woman and her child were sexually abused — has been killed by an accomplice.

According to the deputy inspector-general (DIG) of police for Larkana, Nasir Aftab, the main suspect who was arrested following the Kashmore gang-rape, Rafiq Malik, was shot dead by an accomplice as police drove him to an area to identify the whereabouts of others suspected of committing the crime.

After seeing him with police, Rafiq's accomplices opened fire at him, causing the suspect to be injured, DIG Aftab said, adding that Rafiq succumbed to his injuries en route to the hospital.

A second suspect named in the child abuse case, identified as Khairullah Bugti, was arrested during the operation, Aftab added.

The senior superintendent of police (SSP) for Kashmore, Amjad Shaikh, the arrested suspect disclosed various suspected locations of Bugti during interrogation and that he be taken to catch the absconding man.

As police reached the RD-09 Police Station near Bakhshapur, Bugti — who was hiding — opened fire at the police officials and killed Rafiq. They, however, managed to overcome Bugti, detained him, and recovered weapons from his possession, the cop added.

A police officer was also injured, SSP Shaikh said.

Security to be provided to mother, daughter

In a statement, the Larkana district administration said it had decided to provide security to the mother-daughter duo who were subjected to sexual abuse.

Police security will be present at the hospital during the minor girl's treatment, the district administration said, adding that they took the decision in light of the death of one of the suspects in the case.

They underlined that they were considering providing security to the two even after treatment.

Woman duped by men with promise of job

Earlier, a young woman from Karachi was duped by three men who took her to Kashmore with the promise of a job. They gang-raped her before selling her to Khairullah Bugti — a member of the gang — while the child remained with the other two.

The woman fled from Bugti's house and reached the local police station to file a complaint, following which, authorities tracked the men to the house where she was gang-raped and recovered the child.

It was then that police had arrested Rafiq, who later confessed to gang-raping the minor girl.