Main suspect granted bail in underage marriage case

A sessions court on Tuesday granted bail to the main suspect in a case pertaining to the abduction and rape of an underage Christian girl, Neha, who allegedly converted to Islam.

The additional district and sessions judge of District West, Gul Zamir Solangi, approved bail-after-the-arrest application moved by Imran Baloch, and ordered him to submit a surety of Rs100,000 to secure his release from jail.

According to the prosecution, Imran, in connivance with his brother Rehan Baloch, sister-in-law Sundus and sister Azra Bibi kidnapped Neha in Ittehad Town in June 2019 and then subjected her to rape.

Sundus is a maternal aunt of Neha and she had also converted to Islam to marry Rehan. Police have charged five suspects in the case, including Nikkah Khawan Qazi Ahmed Jan Raheemi, who is also nominated in the case of Arzoo, the 13-year-old Christian girl who allegedly converted to Islam to marry a Muslim man.

Imran, whose three bail applications had earlier been dismissed for lacking merit, had moved a fourth application seeking grant of bail after arrest. The court pronounced its verdict reserved after hearing arguments on the bail plea.

Meanwhile, the court issued a non-bailable warrant for the arrest of Raheemi, who, according to the prosecution, has been absconding and not appearing in the hearings. The FIR was initially lodged under sections 365-B (kidnapping, abducting or inducing woman to compel for marriage), 376 (punishment for rape), 342 (punishment for wrongful confinement), and 506 (punishment for criminal intimidation).