The Lahore capital city police officer (CCPO) has appointed the Civil Lines superintendent of police (SP) as an enquiry officer to probe a rape allegedly committed by three policemen on January 31. The CCPO has acted on a complaint filed by the rape victim’s husband. According to the complaint, newlywed Abdul Raheem, a resident of Samanabad, was returning home after having dinner with his wife at Lakshmi Chowk. As they entered the Qila Gujjar Singh police precincts, three cops intercepted them for routine checking. The couple told the policemen that they were husband and wife and were going home after having dinner at a restaurant. In response, the cops, later identified as Hasnain Shah, Niazi and Manzoor, asked the couple to show a Nikah Nama (marriage contract) to prove that they were indeed married. The couple replied that nobody carries a Nikah Nama while going for dinner.
The policemen became angry at the reply, and started beating them. Local residents gathered after hearing the couple’s screams, and asked the policemen why they were beating them. The cops said that the man and woman were “dacoits”, and that they were being taken to the police station for investigations.
However, according to the complainant, the policemen took them to a local hotel and tortured them severely. Then they gang raped his wife and also recorded a video of the vile act on their mobile phones. The policemen however let the couple go when the wife’s condition became critical. The cops also threatened them of “dire consequences” if they told anyone about the incident.
