FAISALABAD: Three women -- two sisters and their sister-in-law -- allege they were gang-raped by a gang of gunmen but police are not providing them justice.

They demanded insertion of gang-rape in the case or they will commit self-immolation.

They said the gang broke into their house in the jurisdiction of the Kur police late on Jan 23.

One of the family members said the gunmen gang-raped her elder sister, her sister-in-law and her. She said they had identified the gunmen and informed the police. Instead of netting the criminals, she said, police had challaned the suspects in a robbery case.

She said one of the raped women still had torture signs on her face as the family had no resources for treatment.

Another woman said the gang hanged her daughter with a girder and subjected her to severe torture.

They appealed to Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif, Chief Minister Shahbaz Sharif and City Police Officer (CPO) Afzaal Kausar for justice.

The brother of the two alleged rape victims said police had made their relative, Allah Ditta, the complainant in the case even though Ditta was not present at the scene. He said the police nominated their relatives in the robbery case so that the incident could be contrived as a family dispute. He said the gang had also tortured his parents and him and made off with valuables after a four-hour operation.

The CPO told Dawn efforts were under way to trace criminals and several people had been interrogated in the case.

He said samples for DNA test of some people had also been dispatched to a laboratory. He said justice would be dispensed without being influenced.

He said action would be taken if any policeman was found involved in any kind of wrongdoing.

Published in Dawn, February 25th, 2016