Four arrested for rape of 14-year-old with cognitive disabilities

Four men involved in the alleged gang-rape of a minor with cognitive disabilities earlier this month in Lahore have been arrested, a leading English newspaper reported on Tuesday.

According to a First Information Report (FIR) registered on May 20, the 14-year-old victim was taken to the washroom of a mosque on May 9, where the four suspects allegedly raped her.

“They threatened the mentally challenged girl, warning her that if she told anyone about the incident, they would kill her,” the FIR stated, adding that the suspects later dropped the girl outside her home.

According to the complainant, the girl had been visibly distressed and frightened since the incident and only disclosed what had happened to her parents a day before the FIR was registered.

A social media post by Punjab Police stated that action had been taken on the complaint and all four suspects were taken into custody.

Separately, the Prosecutor General of Punjab, Syed Farhad Ali Shah, took notice of the incident and summoned the investigating officer on Thursday (today), along with the case record.

Declaring it a “high-profile case,” the provincial prosecutor general stated that strict legal action would be taken against the suspects. “A special prosecution team will be deployed to follow up on the case,” Shah said.

Pakistan’s anti-rape laws provide for either the death penalty or imprisonment ranging from 10 to 25 years.

Last month, in April, Punjab police arrested five suspects for their alleged involvement in the gang rape of a child in Muzaffargarh. 

In another incident, in March, a woman was reportedly gang-raped by armed robbers in Faisalabad’s Sandal Bar area after the robbers tied up her husband with a shalwar drawstring.