DERA ISMAIL KHAN: The main accused in the infamous Dera girl’s stripping case has surrendered to the police after remaining at large for two years.

Officials said Sajawal surrendered to the police in the office of the district police officer Dilawar Khan Bangash. He was charged in the case of stripping a girl and parading her naked in the street in October 2017.

The police had arrested two other persons in the case, while Sajawal had escaped. He was declared proclaimed offender and police had raided different places in Dera Ismail Khan, Karachi and Punjab to arrest him.

The Peshawar High Court in a recent hearing in the case had expressed displeasure over the non-arrest of the prime accused and summoned the deputy inspector general of police and district police officer of the area.

The bench comprising Justice Ikramullah Khan and Justice Mussarat Hilali had fixed Nov 20 for the next hearing and directed that the said two police officials should appear in person and explain why the prime accused had so far not been arrested.

A bench of the high court had on Nov 22, 2017 disposed of a petition filed by the victim of stripping, with the direction to the IGP to submit progress report of the investigation to the PHC’s Human Rights Cell director for the perusal of the chief justice on regular basis.

Published in Dawn, November 16th, 2019