BAHAWALNAGAR: A man was arrested on charge of raping a mentally-challenged youth at Fort Abbas on Monday.

Police said a 17-year-old mentally-challenged youth of Chak 221/9-R was present at his outhouse on Sunday when his 50-year-old neighbour lured him to a nearby mustard field and raped him. Hearing the hue and cry of the victim, some passers-by rushed to rescue him. However, the suspect managed to flee.

Police said the injured youth was rushed to a local hospital where he was being treated.

Police spokesperson Zahid Rasool said a case was registered on Sunday night on complaint of the victim’s father. He claimed the suspect was arrested on Monday when he was trying to flee the town and that he had confessed to committing crime.

SENTENCED: A local court has awarded capital punishment along with seven-year jail term to a man for killing his neighbour and injuring his minor boy to avenge his minor niece’s death.

During the court proceedings, Muhammad Asif of Haroonabad was found guilty of shooting Niyamat Ali dead and injuring his seven-year-old boy Arham to take revenge for the death of his minor niece who was crushed under the dumper truck of Niyamat Ali’s son Saddam Hussain.

The FIR registered with Fort Abbas police on Sept 1, 2024 stated that the four-year-old daughter of Kashif Ali was crushed to death under a dumper truck when she was playing in the street in mid-August last year. After the death of the girl, her family threatened Niyamat’s family with revenge.

On Sept 1, Asif barged into the house of Niyamat and opened fire on him and his minor son that left Niyamat dead and his son critically injured.

Published in Dawn, January 21st, 2025