Kasur men raped 17-year-old girl for three months, filmed video to blackmail: police

KASUR: A group of men raped a teenage girl here in the city's Gulberg Colony, filming it to blackmail her and continuously sexually assaulting her for three months, local police confirmed on Tuesday.

According to police, one of the three alleged rapists was arrested for abusing the 17-year-old student while the other two have been nominated in the case. The primary suspect was identified as well, they said.

Police added that a first information report (FIR) was registered on behalf of the survivor's father. The FIR noted that the suspects continuously raped, filmed, and blackmailed the girl for three months.

Senate committee approves Zainab Alert Bill changes

A day prior, the Senate Standing Committee on Human Rights had approved some changes in the Zainab Alert Bill that were set to be presented in the Upper House for approval on March 2.

Committee Chairperson Mustafa Nawaz Khokhar had said special courts would hear child molestation cases if the bill was passed in the Senate. It would be implemented across Pakistan after the ratification as opposed to the earlier version, which was applicable only in Islamabad.

Read more: Senate committee gives go-ahead to changes in Zainab Alert Bill

An agency — tasked to maintain a database of missing and abducted children — would be set up, with its director-general to be appointed by Prime Minister Imran Khan. It would work closely with the helpline, 1099, and forward all reported cases.

Khokhar had explained that in the case of a child's disappearance, police would have to immediately file a first information report (FIR) and, in case of failure to comply, officials would be slapped with a Rs100,000 fine and handed a two-year jail sentenc. He was hopeful the bill's implementation would reduce child molestation cases in Pakistan, he added.

The legislation has been named after Zainab — a six-year-old girl who was kidnapped from her home in Kasur in 2018, raped and killed, and her body dumped in a garbage dump.

Also read: Kasur police foil alleged attempt to sell 13-year-old girl

The National Assembly had passed the Zainab Alert Bill 2019 on January 10 to introduce a response and recovery mechanism for missing children.

Last month, Kasur police had successfully foiled an alleged attempt by a man and a woman to 'sell' a 13-year-old child they had kidnapped, thwarting the 'transaction' from taking place through timely action.

Police had said the alleged kidnappers from the city's Chahal Nau area kept the girl captive in their house and were making arrangements to sell her. They had arrested and booked the couple.

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