Police on Saturday said they were still searching for a man who allegedly stripped naked a minor girl in Peshawar's Hashtnagri area earlier this week.
Posts on social media had claimed that a 10-year-old girl, following an altercation between children, was paraded naked in the area after being stripped. This prompted Peshawar's District Nazim Mohammad Asim Khan to visit the victim's family last night and ask the police to ensure arrest of the accused.
However, Wajid Shah, station house officer (SHO) of Shaheed Gulfat Hussain Police Station, told DawnNewsTV on Saturday that the incident had been "exaggerated" on social media.
According to Shah, the girl — 16-year-old — was assaulted by a man who allegedly stripped her naked when she was near her home.
The issue began after a fight between two families — the accused's and the victim's — who both filed a complaint at the police station, said Shah.
According to the first information report (FIR), the accused — a relative of the victim — had allegedly stripped her naked while she was returning home with her mother from the police station.
The man ran away when people of the area came to the girl's rescue, the FIR, registered under Artice 354 A [assault or use of criminal force to woman and stripping her of her clothes], said.
The girl, while talking to the media, stated that her clothes were torn and she was beaten up by the accused who escaped after the people of the area began to gather.
"I was sleeping at home when I heard cries of a girl for help," an eye-witness to the incident told DawnNewsTV, adding that when he came out of his home, he saw a man forcibly dragging a girl who was naked and crying for help.
The SHO said that two of the accused's relatives have been arrested while he himself has gone into hiding.
Taking notice of the incident, Inspector General (IG) Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Salahuddin Mehsud on Saturday ordered the SHO to ensure arrest of the accused and vowed that justice would be served in the case.
