One motorway gang rape suspect surrenders

LAHORE: A suspect in the motorway gang rape case surrendered before the Lahore Police on Sunday and insisted that he was not involved in the incident, Geo News reported.

Waqarul Hassan was among the two suspects identified by the Punjab government on Saturday for their alleged involvement in the crime which prompted countrywide protests. The prime suspect, Abid Ali, is still at large and police teams were conducting raids at different locations to apprehend him.

Hassan surrendered after relatives reportedly compelled him to do so, Geo News reported quoting sources. He reportedly told the investigators that he was not involved in the rape and claimed that his brother-in-law was using his mobile phone. He also asked investigators to take his DNA samples to prove his innocence.

On Saturday, Punjab Chief Minister Usman Buzdar had announced a reward of Rs2.5 million for each of the suspects if information leading to their arrest is shared. He said the identity of those bringing forward any information will be kept confidential.

In the early hours of Thursday, a pair of miscreants allegedly gang-raped a woman on the Lahore-Sialkot motorway. The woman, along with her two children, was driving to Gujranwala when she was stranded at the Gujjarpura section of the motorway after running out of fuel, at around 1:30am.