Inquiry body formed as gang rape victim’s mother seeks justice

The case of alleged gang rape of a teenager girl in Gulistan-e-Jauhar took an ugly turn on Friday after an audio recording surfaced on social media in which an alleged police official is heard asking for a bribe from the girl’s mother in exchange for investigations in her favour.

An FIR No 163/19 under the sections 352, 452 and 506-B of the Pakistan Penal Code was registered on behalf of a woman, Samreen, against three suspects, namely Raza Bugti, Shaban and Jawwad, at the Gulistan-e-Jauhar police station on March 19. The woman had accused the suspects of raping her daughter.

According to Gulistan-e-Jauhar SHO Shakeel Sherwani, the case was registered against the three suspects for allegedly subjecting a 15-year-old girl, to rape at her residential apartment in Gulistan-e-Jauhar. The officer explained that two of the nominated suspects, Bugti and Shaban, were arrested after the case was registered but the third suspect, Jawwad, was still at large.

The complainant in her initial statement to the police said that her daughter was subjected to gang rape by the three persons and Bugti, who was the president of the apartments’ union, was a key suspect in the case.

The mother alleged that the suspects subjected her daughter to rape and warned her that they would throw acid on her if she screamed or told anyone about the incident.

But the case took an ugly turn when an audio call went viral on social media, in which a man calling himself as ASI Rehman of the Gulistan-e-Jauhar police station is heard demanding a bribe from the victim’s mother in exchange for the preparation of a medical report and investigations in her favour.

“I am ASI and I am investigating your daughter’s case. I will help you by probing the case in your favour but I need your favour. I will definitely help you if you are able to give us Rs15,000 to Rs20,000,” the man asked the victim’s mother on the phone call.

However, at the end of the phone call, the woman refused to give him money and told the caller that his call had been recorded. The woman said she would not pay a single penny to him as her complaint was genuine. As the audio went viral on social media, Sindh Inspector General of Police (IGP) Dr Syed Kaleem Imam took notice of it and sought a detailed report from the East Zone DIG.

Meanwhile, Additional IG Karachi Dr Amir Shaikh also took notice and formed an inquiry committee to investigate the case. District East SSP Ghulam Azfar Mahesar would head the committee, which would record the statements of the victim girl and her mother. The East SSP said the committee would carry out the probe with the help of modern techniques. Further investigations are under way.