Accused in molestation case sent on judicial remand

MANSEHRA: A local court on Sunday turned down the police request to extend the physical remand of an accused, who had been arrested after he allegedly sexually assaulted a four-year-old girl in Pakhwal area the other day.

“We have requested the court to hand over the accused to police for some more days but it was refused and the accused was sent on judicial remand,” said Bashir Khan, the deputy superintendent of police, after producing the accused in the court. The accused Abdul Sattar was presented before the magistrate on duty under tight security on completion of this three-day physical remand. The grandfather of the victim girl had stated in the FIR that Abdul Sattar tricked his 4-year old granddaughter to agricultural fields and assaulted her there.

The DSP further said that samples of DNA tests of both accused and victim had been collected and dispatched to the laboratory for analysis. “A camera footage of the accused, in which he apparently took the victim to a nearby agricultural field, has also been sent to Nadra headquarters in Islamabad for further analysis,” he added. The gruesome incident had sparked protests across the district where members from the civil society, lawyers and students demanded the government to legislate in the National Assembly for public hanging of the rapists.