MUZAFFARABAD: A judicial magistrate on Tuesday remanded a constable into police custody for a week, a day after he was allegedly caught ‘molesting’ a young boy in a village along the main Neelum valley road.

The suspect was an ex-serviceman and was recently inducted in Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK) police as a constable. According to a press release issued by the AJK police on Tuesday, the constable had been suspended from service, and a departmental inquiry had been ordered against him.

The incident occurred on Monday evening in Devlian village, located about 35 kilometres northeast of Muzaffarabad, within the jurisdiction of the Panjgran police station.

According to the press release, some residents of the village spotted the suspect being engaged in suspicious activities with a boy aged 12 to 13 in a deserted area.

Upon questioning, the suspect disclosed his identity as a constable.

As news of the incident spread, hundreds of outraged residents gathered at the site, demanding strict action against him.

A police team soon arrived at the scene, took the suspect into custody, and shifted him to the Panjgran police station, located approximately one kilometre before Devlian.

An FIR was registered under Section 377(3) of the Azad Penal Code (PPC), which pertains to unnatural offences.

Speaking to Dawn, Panjgran SHO Iftikhar Awan said the suspect, a 43-year-old ex-serviceman hailing from the Charsadda district of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, had recently been appointed as an SSG-qualified constable in the Special Protection Unit of the AJK Police.

He had been undergoing a refresher course in the area where the incident occurred.

The police press release added that DSP Patikka, Syed Raza Gillani, had been tasked with investigating the criminal case, while DSP Reserve, Saqib Abbasi, had been assigned to conduct the departmental inquiry.

“The police department maintains a zero-tolerance policy against personnel involved in moral offences,” the press release said.

It further assured that both the criminal investigation and the departmental inquiry would be conducted thoroughly.

“Strict disciplinary action will be taken against the suspect in the light of the inquiry findings to cleanse the police force of such black sheep,” it concluded.

Published in Dawn, January 29th, 2025