Motorway rape incident: Authorities zero in on suspect after DNA test returns positive

LAHORE: A breakthrough was achieved in the motorway rape case on Saturday as the DNA of a suspect was matched with the samples taken from the victim, according to Prime Minister Imran Khan's aide on political communication Shahbaz Gill.

Gill congratulated Chief Minister Punjab Usman Buzdar, Inspector General of Police Punjab Inam Ghani and Capital City Police Officer Lahore Umar Sheikh on the headway made.

"DNA matched. InshaAllah the arrest will soon follow," he said.

Gill said that Buzdar is personally monitoring the case and holding long meetings with the IGP and Lahore CCPO.

According to sources, a suspect's DNA sample was already present in the Forensic Science Agency's DNA bank, which matched with the samples taken from the rape victim. 

The suspect is reportedly a proclaimed offender with a criminal record and is said to hail from Bahawalnagar.

He has yet to be arrested.

IGP Punjab dismisses reports of any suspect being arrested

Inspector General of Police Punjab Inam Ghani had earlier dismissed reports that a suspect in the Lahore motorway rape case had been arrested, terming them as incorrect. 

“News on the arrest of a suspect on TV channels and social media are incorrect,” said IGP Ghani, adding that he would share any "success" in the case with media as he was monitoring the investigation himself.

“Such unconfirmed news affects the case and is also misleading for the public,” said Punjab's top cop. He also said that pictures of the woman and the suspect of the case being shared on social media were fake.

The police officer urged media not to run reports before confirming them and urged people to have trust in the police.

“We will soon arrest the accused and bring them to justice,” vowed IGP Ghani.

IG Punjab Inam Ghani said that information was also being sought from the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) and The National Database and Registration Authority (NADRA) regarding the case.

Saying that false news should not be spread regarding the case and ongoing investigations, Ghani clarified that no ring has been found and no suspects have been arrested. Moreover, the victim's ATM card has not been used as of yet.

IG Punjab said that no DNA match has taken place yet and that the information would be made public if any progress is made in this regard.

25 suspects with criminal record missing

During investigation, it has emerged that 25 suspects with criminal records are missing from Karol and adjoining villages. 

According to police, a search and sweep operation is underway in the 5km radius near the Eastern Bypass — where the horrific incident took place.

On the other hand, the police have taken DNA samples of 63 people from three villages — all of whom are between the ages of 20 and 35 years.

Police contact rape victim for statement

Police contacted the rape victim to obtain her statement on the matter. However, the woman's family told the police that the woman was not in a condition to have her statement recorded as of yet.

SSP Zeeshan said that the woman's statement will be recorded when she is able to speak about the matter. 

Geo-fencing of villages

Police on Friday had completed the geo-fencing of the villages surrounding the motorway within a five-kilometre radius where the incident took place.

According to a report in The News, the robbers had taken Rs100,000 cash and other valuables of the victim with them while fleeing.

A special investigation team (SIT) had visited the crime scene on Friday and restructured the heinous act. However, the investigators could not find any tangible clue leading to the culprits.

The incident

On Tuesday night, it was reported that two robbers had allegedly gang-raped a woman who was with her children, on the motorway within Gujjarpura police's jurisdiction.

The woman, along with her three children, was driving to Gujranwala in her car when she was forced to stop at the Gujjarpura section of the motorway after running out of fuel, at around 1:30am.

She immediately called a relative and sent him her location. He asked her to also dial the Motorway Police helpline 130 from which she reportedly received no response.

In the meantime, two robbers reportedly approached the car, broke the window, and took the woman and her children to the nearby bushes where they allegedly raped her in front of the children. They also snatched her purse carrying Rs100,000 in cash, one bracelet, car registration papers, and three ATM cards.