Teenage girl with disabilities allegedly raped in Khanewal

A 14-year-old girl with disabilities was allegedly raped by a neighbour in Khanewal's Kabirwala tehsil on Wednesday morning.

A first information report has been registered but the suspect has not been arrested as yet, Station House Officer (SHO) Tayyab Sarfaraz said.

The victim's father told DawnNewsTV that the suspect had raped his daughter in their home within the limits of the Bara Kata police station with help from an accomplice while he and the victim's mother were working in the fields.

He said that when they returned home, they found the victim unclothed. The daughter, who is unable to speak or walk properly, told her parents what had happened using gestures.

Upon discovery, the suspect fled the scene. When the victim's parents went to his house, they were told he was not there.

When the police later visited the suspect's house, they were also told that he was not there, the father said.

According to the FIR, the victim's father upon returning home caught the suspect in the act while an unidentified individual kept watch. When the suspect realised he had been discovered, he pulled out a pistol and threatened to shoot if anyone came nearer and then fled the scene of the crime.

A Medico-Legal Examination of the victim suggests the possibility that rape may have taken place, but the examination report said that a final opinion on the matter would be provided after the hospital receives final reports from the Punjab Forensic Science Laboratory.

SHO Tayyab Sarfaraz said a search operation for the suspect was underway, and that he would soon be dealt with in accordance with the law.

Locals from the area and the girls relative held a protest, demanding the arrest of the suspect. They alleged that the suspect had previously raped two other girls as well.