Alleged faith healer arrested in maid rape case

CHAK JHUMRA:

A spiritual healer accused of raping a 16-year-old maid in Chak Jhumra area has been arrested.

A police spokesman said on Monday that the girl was working at the house of Pir Hafiz Shakeel at Chak 188RB Nallaywala. The accused allegedly sexually abused her for over four months and also kept her illegally in the house.

The girl managed to escape from illegal detention and told her parents about her ordeal, who then contacted the police.

A medical report showed that her pregnancy was the result of rape.

When Punjab Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz received information about the incident, she ordered action in ten cases.

Police conducted raids and arrested the suspect, the spokesman added.

Meanwhile, Punjab Women Protection Authority Chairperson Hina Pervaiz Butt visited the Women Gender-Based Violence Unit (WGBVU) and met the victim’s relatives.

She assured the victim that justice would be done at any cost.

The SSP investigation informed Hina Butt about the WGBVU and stated that the police had conducted a medical examination of the victim.

City police officer Kamran Adil had put together a special team for the investigation.

A day earlier, Punjab’s Social Minister Sohail Shaukat Butt had taken note of the incident of abuse of a domestic worker by a spiritual healer in Chak Jhumra.

He stated that such heinous crimes would not be tolerated under any circumstances and that all possible legal and moral support would be provided to the affected family.

The minister had instructed the police not to compromise in their investigation of the case and to ensure that the suspect is brought to justice quickly.

In early May, a man allegedly raped a six-year-old girl in Chak 65-GB in Tehsil Jaranwala in Faisalabad district.

Complainant Ibrar claimed in his FIR that his daughter went to play with children in the house of the suspect in the neighbourhood, who was alone at home. He forcibly took her into a room where he raped her and also tortured her when she resisted.

In a press release, city police officer Kamran Adil claimed that the accused was arrested and the child was taken to THQ Hospital for treatment.

Prime Minister Maryam Nawaz had hinted at increasing the punishment for those convicted in rape cases. She made the announcement on Tuesday after learning about the rape of a minor girl in Jaranwala district.

“The accused who abused the innocent girl should be severely punished,” the Prime Minister said.

With additional input from APP