HAFIZABAD: A hapless girl from Hafizabad was raped by local landlords and while the police gave the victim a cold shoulder, the ‘rapists’ killed her parents when the family decided to pursue the matter with police high-ups.
According to police source, four fiendish landlords including Ali Hassan Chattha, Shoaib Sial and their two accomplices, residents of Phullo Chiragh Shah abducted 16-year-old Shanza, daughter of a poor worker Munawar of the village the other night. They took the girl to their dera where they gang raped her. After the incident, the father of victim Munawar informed the Jalalpur Bhattian Police but the police remained reluctant to take any action against the cruel landlords.
In the morning on Thursday, Munawar along with his wife Shahida Perveen and victim Shanza was on the way to DPO Office Hafizabad on a bike to submit complaint against the accused and the police. When they reached near Ghora Chowk Qila Sahib Singh, accused Ali Hassan Chattha, Shoaib Sial and others, who were following Munawar in a car, hit his bike deliberately.
As a result Munawar died on the spot while Shahida Perveen received fatal injuries and was referred to Lahore where she succumbed to her injuries while Shanza was admitted to DHQ Hospital, where according to medical officers, she is struggling for life.
According to the relatives of the victim, the accused had already abducted the victim four days ago but the police did not move against the influential landlords.
Had the police taken legal action against the accused after the girl’s earlier abduction, the gruesome tragedy would not have taken place. Later, the bereaved family members accompanied by scores of locals took the dead bodies to Raja Chowk where they blocked road for two hours and raised vociferous slogans against the police.
They demanded immediate arrest of the accused. Thereupon DPO Muhammad Zubair Dareshak and City Police SHO Khurram Butt reached the spot and assured the demonstrators that the accused involved in the gory incident would be arrested and provided deterrent punishment.
Meanwhile, the Punjab Chief Minister has taken serious notice of the gruesome murder and directed the Hafizabad DPO to arrest the accused promptly.
The Jalalpur Bhattian Police have now registered a case against Ali Hassan Chattha, Shoaib Sial and two others for abduction and gang rape while the Saddr Police have registered a case against the accused on the charge of double murder. The police have constituted special teams to arrest the accused. In another incident Khurram Shahzad Qureshi was short at and killed by Rai Qaiser in Mutteke village as a sequel to an old enmity. The police have registered a case against the accused who is still at large.