Uncle flees after sexual assault on nine-year-old niece

A man who sexually assaulted his nine-year-old niece is on the run after a case was lodged at the Sachal Goth police station on Wednesday night.

Sachal Goth police’s SHO Shakir Ali told The News that a distressed mother and her minor daughter had come to the police station on Wednesday night to file a case. “The woman has accused her brother-in-law, Mushtaq, of trying to rape her minor daughter,” said the SHO, adding that the assault took place in Mohammad Ali Goth in Scheme 33.

“The mother told us that she and her husband, Mohammad Ashraf, had gone out of their house for shopping on January 16 and returned to find their nine-year-old daughter unclothed and crying.”

He said the child told her parents that she was playing with her younger brothers when their uncle, Mushtaq, arrived at the house. “The child told them that Mushtaq sexually assaulted her and only stopped and fled the house because of her screams.”

‘Not the first time’

“The woman said she wanted to report the crime immediately and the one-day delay was because her husband was concerned about the family’s reputation,” added SHO Ali.

“The mother told us that Mushtaq had tried to rape the child once before and she had not done anything about it because her husband forbade her. This time too she had to wait for Ashraf to leave for work before she came to the police station.”

The officer said FIR No. 33/18 had been registered against Mushtaq on the mother’s complaint under sections 346 (wrongful confinement in secret), 511(punishment for attempting to commit offences punishable with life imprisonment or shorter terms) and 342 (punishment for wrongful confinement) of the PPC. He said the accused was on the run and yet to be arrested but would soon be in police custody.