Islamabad: One month after the gang-rape case that shocked Pakistan, the police have arrested “prime suspect” Abid Malhi, 27, who managed to escape the dragnet at least three times.
Lahore DIG Investigations Shahzada Sultan, who was heading the special team, confirmed the arrest. Abid, who was reportedly leading a gang of four, is also wanted in at least 10 other criminal cases.
Pakistan has witnessed a massive public outrage over the handling of the sexual assault case after a woman was gang-raped on the Lahore-Sialkot motorway in front of her children on September 9.
“Matter of national relief”
Pakistan’s President Dr Arif Alvi welcomed the arrest and termed it “a matter of national relief”. “An efficient trial of the accused and the ‘severest exemplary’ punishment possible under the law must be given to all those found guilty,” the president said in a tweet. “Let everyone feel safe in Pakistan, especially our women and children.”
Main suspect sent to jail on 14-day judicial remand
On Tuesday, a Lahore anti-terrorism court sent Abid Malhi to jail on a 14-day judicial remand after the accused was brought to court under tight security. Judge Arshad Hussain Bhutta directed that the process be completed as soon as possible.
Police set trap to arrest criminal
Lahore’s Crime Investigation Agency (CIA) arrested Malhi some 33 kilometres from Lahore, after police tracked the phone call that the family made to contact Malhi. Police’s strategy of releasing Malhi’s family members proved successful when the suspect contacted his mother over phone, Punjab Operations Deputy Inspector General (DIG) Sohail Sukhera told media. “Special teams that were on high alert, traced the call to Faisalabad, where the suspect was hiding”. They finally arrested the suspect when he reached his mother’s house in Manga Mandi area where the police were already deployed.
Other suspects
The two main suspects of the case are Abid and Shafqat Ali. Shafqat was promptly arrested by the Counter-Terrorism Department (CTD) of Police and confessed to the crime before DNA profiling. The third suspect, identified as Iqbal, was arrested soon after on the basis of information provided by his accomplice Shafqat during police interrogation. A fourth suspect, Waqarul Hasan, had surrendered to police claiming his innocence.
