On Thursday, a woman was allegedly gang-raped at gunpoint by robbers in front of her husband and three-year-old daughter in Hafizabad district, causing widespread outrage both locally and internationally.
The assailants reportedly took the woman to nearby fields and assaulted her in the presence of her family. The incident occurred when the family, traveling by motorcycle to Chiniot, was stopped by three robbers near Sukheke.
In the aftermath, police from Hafizabad and Nankana Sahib districts reportedly clashed over jurisdiction, failing to adhere to Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) established following the Lahore-Sialkot motorway gang-rape incident in 2020. These SOPs were designed to ensure prompt responses to sexual assault cases.
The rape survivor has been taken to a hospital. An official stated that the family, residents of Chiniot district, was returning home after visiting a maternal uncle late on Wednesday. The robbers intercepted them around 11:30 pm and fled after committing the crime.
When the incident was reported to emergency services, the Nankana police redirected the call to Hafizabad, claiming it was outside their jurisdiction. Hafizabad police then sent a team to the scene but, after a brief investigation, declared it under Nankana police jurisdiction.
During this jurisdictional dispute, the family was left unattended for about an hour. The issue was eventually brought to the attention of the Hafizabad DPO, who instructed the police to respond and file a case.
The Sukheke police subsequently registered a rape case against unknown suspects and apprehended one suspected robber, recovering two pistols from him.
On Thursday morning, jurisdictional disputes between the police forces persisted. Nankana Sahib police denied the incident occurred in their area, prompting Hafizabad police to bring in the tehsildar and Board of Revenue staff to determine jurisdiction. The matter was debated throughout the day.
Hafizabad DPO Faisal Gulzar confirmed that, although the crime occurred in Nankana Sahib district, he had ordered the FIR to be registered at a Hafizabad police station.
“We have arrested one of the three criminals who attacked the family and raped the woman,” he said. The suspect reportedly informed police that his accomplices fled towards Rawalpindi. A police team has been dispatched to Rawalpindi to track down the remaining suspects.
The DPO mentioned that, according to the arrested suspect, only one criminal was involved in the rape.